A Shift in the Force
by shinigamigirl196
Summary: Sabé Amidala was just your typical Jedi Knight, except that she was a bit...unorthodox. There were many things within the Code that she didn't approve of, and that gave her no allies in the Council, but they had to admit that she was a startlingly good peacemaker, even if she was a bit bold and sometimes reckless. Too bad that was the way her family was. Sabé x Obi-Wan
1. Crash Landing

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter One: Crash Landing**

**AN: **** I'm not quite sure if this is going to be a thing, but I'm going to make an honest attempt at a Star Wars fanfic. This is a Sobiwan (Sabé x Obi-Wan), if you are confused by the pairing, in which Sabé is a Jedi. This is the story of her ups and downs, lefts and rights. My friends all told me "No, don't do it, you have enough fanfics to write," but I couldn't help myself! I'm not sure if this has ever been attempted before, but I figured that I would give it a go, so here it is! Enjoy!**

**Edited: 1/31/16**

* * *

Jedi Master Plo Koon lifted the infant gently from her cradle. She was no more than five months old with a small tuft of brown hair sticking straight up on her head.

"What is her name?" the Jedi Master asked of the girl's father, unable to drag his eyes away from her brown ones which had fluttered open, fastening on his. Younglings were true things of beauty, weren't they?

"Sabé Naberrie," her mother, Jobal, said quietly, smiling softly at her first born. "We knew she was special, but we weren't expecting this. Our little miracle."

All parents thought their children were special, Plo Koon had gathered, but this time they were right. He had tested her blood and her midi-chlorian count was over eighteen thousand, higher even than Grandmaster Yoda's, higher than any count on record.

There were only two prophecies ever recorded in the Holocrons of the Jedi Temple: the Chosen One and the Great Guide. Very little was known about either of them, but very few knew about the Great Guide as opposed to Chosen One which was practically a legend, growing with each retelling. The Great Guide was just that, a guide, one who was firmly entrenched in the Light of the Force and born under a waning crescent moon (called the Princess Crescent on Naboo).

Sabé raised a small hand to slap lightly against his mask which protected him from the oxygen-rich atmosphere that made up a good portion of Naboo, not including the Gungan habitat beneath Lake Paonga. Her mouth was smiling and her eyes dancing.

Plo Koon shifted his goggle-covered eyes to the anxious mother who knew of her loss of the child he was holding would occur in a matter of minutes. "You called her a miracle," he said finally, "why is that?"

She blinked, her eyes slightly startled. "Oh…Ruwee and I were attacked a few years before Sabé was born. I was told that I could never conceive, but then," she blinked the tears away hastily, "then Sabé happened."

Miracle indeed.

"You understand that she will be leaving with me, don't you?" he asked her as gently as he could, hoping that he didn't sound too…detached. He was no Mace Windu; durasteel had more emotion than that man.

"We do," a voice gruffer than he would have anticipated spoke from the doorway as Ruwee Naberrie, Governor of Theed entered the room, "and we understand that a life as a Jedi could possibly be one that she thrives in."

Plo Koon could see that he believed in his words, but he could also see the sorrow that lined his face. This child was his first child, his miracle child, and here she was being taken away by a Kel Dor with promises of grandeur, but that was the same story that all parents of Force-sensitive children were told.

"She could become a target with the last name Naberrie," he continued sadly, "I have many enemies. Tell the Jedi that her name is Sabé Amidala of Naboo."

Plo Koon gave the pair a courteous bow and gave them a few moments to bid their daughter farewell and the only comfort that Plo Koon could give was that their daughter would be well looked after. He did not mention the possibility of her not being chosen as a padawan learner by the age of thirteen and thus being sent off to the AgriCorps; there was no need to worry them of possibilities that were not for certain.

Though he did doubt she would ever find a home in the AgriCorps; Sabé Amidala's destiny was written in the stars.

* * *

Sabé Amidala, Knight of the Jedi, stood before the council of her superiors with only her new apprentice by her side. Talik Shala was gifted in the Force, perhaps not as much as she was, but it was enough that she has gained recognition for her skills much like Sabé did when she was just an Initiate. Padawans being only ten when they were chosen by a master was not unheard of, though it was a bit rare; masters tended to wait until the last minute, to the dismay of the Initiates. She glanced down to Talik. She was a Twi'lek, much like her close friend Aayla Secura, only her skin was a soft lavender where as Aayla's was a lovely blue hue.

Talik felt her eyes, but didn't glance up, sending a wave of uncertainty through the Force Bond that all Padawans and masters shared. Sabé sent back assurance in its place before shifting her eyes to the council once more.

Her old master, Yoda, watched her carefully. Sabé had blossomed as a Jedi, and had since the moment he set eyes on her. Her dark brown hair was, as it had always been, plaited into a multitude of braids. Her robes were a much darker shade of brown than Jedi typically wore, and her clothes had shifted towards darker sheens, with the black boots, lighter brown pants into which they were tucked, with a dark shirt (billowing sleeves and all) under a leather jerkin, her twin lightsabers hanging from her belt.

The black glove hid her metallic arm from the stares but everyone stared anyways, as they always did since she had received the injury.

"Masters," she said in her serene voice, giving a low bow only to Yoda, as he was both her master and the Grandmaster.

"A mission for you and your apprentice, we have," her old master said in his aged voice. "Rested from your injuries, are you?"

Talik flinched at her side. Shame flooded her face as it should; the injuries Sabé had sustained were her fault.

"I am, Master."

"A dispute has arisen on your home planet, Naboo," Master Mace Windu said from beside Yoda, causing her soft brown orbs to flicker to him. "The Trade Federation has begun to orbit Naboo and have refused each time when they were ordered to leave by Queen Amidala herself."

Talik's eyes widened as she stared at her master. Amidala was her name! She was related to a queen?

"We would like you to go down and speak to Queen Amidala and then to the Trade Federation and see if you can't convince them to enter into an agreement."

Sabé bowed lowly to the council. "We shall see it done, my masters." Talik followed her example before they left the masters to their next business.

"Are you really related to a queen?" Talik asked in awe, skipping slightly to keep up with her master's pace.

"Yes," Sabé said. "My younger sister is the elected queen of Naboo." Melancholy filled Sabé as she thought of young Padmé whom she had seen little recently and what little she had seen had come from the HoloNet with the white and red face paint lathered so thickly to her skin that she couldn't even be sure that it had been Padmé in the first place.

"Do you miss your family?" Talik asked innocently.

Sabé blinked in surprise. That was not a question that she had been expecting. "Of course." She did not elaborate and Talik did not press.

"Heading out already?"

Sabé spared him a glance as he came to walk beside her, making Talik stare, Sabé's lips twitched lightly at her old friend's sudden appearance.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," she hummed his name slightly, rolling the words over her tongue, "I don't suppose you have anything better to do?"

He grinned, making her traitorous heart flutter. Attachment was forbidden, she knew, which was why she had buried her affection for the young Jedi Padawan, buried it in a deep and dark place where no one would find it. And she was content to be his friend, just as she was content to be the friends of Aayla and Kit (not that she had any romantic feelings towards them). "Not really," he said, his hazel eyes lighting up. "Heard you tried to skive out of the medical ward, though."

A pale flush dusted her cheeks. "Oh, shut up, Obi-Wan," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth, her shoulders hunching slightly as she sped up her walk.

His grin widened and Talik giggled as they increased their speed to meet hers. This was one of the great things about having Sabé Amidala as a master; she wasn't old or stuffy or too much about the Code. She was…refreshing.

"Can you tell Aayla and Kit that we're going to have to postpone our little sparring match?" she inquired of him. "Talik and I are being sent to Naboo to settle a dispute between the Naboo and the Trade Federation."

Obi-Wan arched a red-brown eyebrow in surprise at his friend's home planet. "Naboo?" he said in surprise. "Are they sure?"

Sabé cast him a glance that could have been easily interpreted as affronted. "I can handle it, Obi-Wan."

If he had any other reservations, he didn't mention it, simply giving her shoulder a squeeze, conveying calm understanding. "May the Force be with you."

She smiled genuinely. "When is it ever not?"

They shared a secretive smile that Talik couldn't interpret, but before Talik could speak up, Obi-Wan had left, following after his master who had called out to him.

"Arthree," she spoke into her comlink to her astromech. Arthree was one of the first prototypes of the R3 series, but it had been slightly more advanced than the R2 series, and had more than a little technical problems that had caused him to be cast aside. Sabé had rescued him from a junkyard on Coruscant and after a considerable amount of time on him, had managed to work him into being a great astromech that was shared between her and a few of her friends (they were threatened on pain of death to never bring him back looking remotely anything less than the condition that he had left in). "Arthree, we're going to need a cargo craft...tell Silon I'm calling in that favor he owes me."

The astromech beeped an affirmative.

"Master?" Talik queried. "What happens if the Trade Federation doesn't listen to the Nubians?"

Sabé frowned slightly. "Then we may have a problem on our hands, my very young apprentice."

"Will your sister be in a lot of trouble?"

Her frown deepened. "Padmé is doing what is right for her people. No one can fault her for that."

Talik could sense the pride she felt for her sister leak through their bond and the regret. She should have been there. She frowned slightly, but she didn't comment on it; she doubted that her master would appreciate it.

Sabé Amidala was a Jedi who was under constant scrutiny by the Council, both due to her relation to the former Governor of Theed, her father, as well as her relation to the former Princess of Theed and now Queen of Naboo, but there was also the fact that Sabé had over eighteen thousand midi-chlorians, beating out Grandmaster Yoda by a couple hundred.

She didn't need the scrutiny of her own apprentice as well.

So Talik kept her mouth firmly shut.

* * *

Captain Panaka of the Royal Naboo Security Forces had waited with bated breath as the ship on which two Jedi were captaining under the disguise of food traders passed through the blockade with little resistance. The queen's elder sister was on that ship, he knew, and he had hoped for her sake that she was not blasted out of the sky, which she wasn't. He exhaled in relief when the vessel touched down in the hanger and the ramp extended, allowing two pairs of legs to descend.

His eyes were first drawn to the youngest, because she was the one he saw first. She was a young Twi'lek with her skin being a rare shade of purple and with bright curious eyes. She was dressed modestly, as most Jedi were, and her slim lightsaber dangled from her belt.

But the second one automatically drew his eyes. She had a nearly identical beauty to that of the Queen's, with that same dainty, rosy quality, but he could tell they were very different. Her hair, unlike the queen's was in a multitude of braids secured with a variety of pins, and while the queen's face was always set in a serious mask, hers was one of serenity. Though they both gave off the same aura of confidence, he could see that it would be easy to mistake one for the other, even with the ten year age gap. She would have been the perfect decoy queen, he lamented.

"Milady," he said with a bow as the pair approached.

A pale flush adorned her cheeks at the title and she shifted slightly from one foot to the next. Being referred to as such always embarrassed her. "I am no lady," she disagreed, "please don't refer to me as such."

"As you wish," he said agreeably. Apparently she was modest as well.

"I am Jedi Knight Sabé Amidala," she introduced herself before gesturing to the young girl beside her, "this is my Padawan learner, Talik Shala. I understand that your queen awaits us?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, marveling at how diplomatic she sounded (nearly identical to Padmé, he couldn't help but note), "please follow me."

Meanwhile, in the throne room Padmé Amidala sat tense and impatient in her throne. It was strange to be queen, but she had worked so hard to get there that she would not be denied, even by the Trade Federation. Padmé had grown up inspired by her eldest sister (Sola did not approve of her ambitions towards politics or the life that Sabé lived) who served the Republic as a peacekeeper. The Jedi brought inspiration whether they intended to or not, and her sister was no exception.

She had scarcely seen her since she was a child when she had returned to her mother and father's home for their protection from a foe that Padmé didn't understand at the time. She knew from the HoloNet that she had been involved with Ryloth recently concerning the lylek that nearly overran one of the villages in the Bright Lands (and the HoloNet had only been involved because the son of a high ranking official of Ryloth had been mauled to death before Sabé had been given the assignment, leading to a lot of press), but most of what she knew of her sister was scarce. Still, she hoped that she knew enough of the HoloNet to know that she was queen; she secretly hoped that Sabé would be proud of her.

Her incessant tapping of her nail against the armrest of her chair when Captain Panaka entered once more, bowing lowly.

"Your Majesty, may I introduce Jedi Knight Sabé Amidala and her apprentice, Talik Shala."

And then he stepped aside and allowed the silent pair to enter.

Sabé was…a Nubian beauty, much like it was said that Padmé was. In fact, she could see a number of features that Sabé and she shared, but Sabé was calmer, much calmer. She couldn't help but wonder how she could be when she dealt with such violence in her life. Violence…strange to think of the Republic's Peacekeepers as facing violence, but one couldn't deny the truth behind it.

"Milady," Sabé bowed, her Curoscanti-tinged Naboo accent light, like her smile. She reminded Padmé of stars so very far away, beautiful from afar but unapproachable and remote. In that instant she considered that her sister was queenlier than she was. "An honor to be in your presence, it is." She and her apprentice bowed lowly with respect.

Sometimes, much to Sabé's eternal embarrassment, she found herself using Yoda's speech patterns; it was prolonged exposure, she told herself.

Padmé stood up slowly so as not to offset the enormous headdress that rest on her head as she made her way down from the throne to stand before her. Emotion welled inside her as Sabé took one of her trembling hands in both of hers, a gentle smile on her lips as she squeezed Padmé's palm gingerly.

"Hello, little sister," she said quietly, her voice soft, just like her mother's when she was being careful of what she said, "you've grown up well."

Padmé wanted to burst into tears of relief and joy at the words, so she hardly noticed when Captain Panaka motioned for her handmaidens to leave her side, including the protesting Governor Bibble.

Sabé sighed softly, raising a hand to cup Padmé's chin softly enough that she did not smudge the dried face paint. "Ah…I see you take after me…how unfortunate."

The purple Twi'lek by her side cracked a smile at her words and Padmé herself couldn't help but allow the laughter to bubble from her white and red lips.

"First joke you've made since we left Coruscant," the Twi'lek mumbled, her lips twitching.

Sabé gave a forlorn sigh, releasing her sister to give her companion a stare. "My dear, young padawan, one would think that you didn't appreciate me as a master."

"Oh, no, I do!" she said quickly, her eyes wide and slightly horrified. "You're the best, Master!"

Sabé's smile widened before it disappeared as her attention turned once more to her sister. "So tell me of your problems with the Trade Federation, I do long to know the cause of dissent." Talik would have been the first to take notice of her formal way of speaking when things were remarkably serious.

And so Padmé opened her mouth and began to speak, telling her elder sister of all that had transpired in the past few weeks that had forced her to request the assistance of the Jedi.

Sabé's lovely face was marred by the frown that curved her lips downward and furrowed her eyebrows. Now she looked a bit like Sola.

"This is peculiar," she said finally, cupping her chin in her hand, "the Trade Federation already has a monopoly over the trade routes, so it is curious as to why they have taken an interest in Naboo in particular." She glanced down to meet Padmé's eyes. "Either way, it doesn't bode well for you or your people."

"I have given a decree for them to leave Naboo-space," Padmé said in her regal accent, her fingers twitching slightly in anxiety, "but they refuse to leave, and we have no military to speak of."

"And that would make you an easy target," Sabé agreed, her lips twisting slightly, reminding Padmé that this was her home-planet as well as hers. It was so easy to forget you were related to a Jedi when you didn't grow up seeing them every day as she had with Sola.

"We will leave immediately for the Trade Federation outpost," Sabé decided finally after a very long moment of intense thinking that had Padmé a little concerned, even if young Talik wasn't. "This must be dealt with swiftly and diplomatically."

She gave her sister another low bow and left the way she came, with her apprentice closely following her back onto the ship, not knowing that someone was already plotting her demise for the second time…

* * *

Darth Sidious hid his clenched teeth under his low hood so that even his holo image wouldn't betray his irritation. Still the girl eluded him! His efforts did seem to be in vain regarding the young Jedi Knight. Where he failed in recruiting her, he certainly didn't make up for with assassination attempts.

Sadly, her being highly in tune with the Force weighed against her, and the only success that he had actually made was in a full frontal attack several years previously by his Zabrak apprentice, Darth Maul, with had resulted in her amputation of her arm.

The Great Guide? What folly had the creator of that prophecy been speaking of? She was no guide! She was just a child (in his eyes) with a high midi-chlorian count and a superior connection to the Force; her sword skills were mediocre at best. She would perish easily if he fought against her, that he knew for certain.

"The cargo ship that will be disembarking from Naboo," he said in a voice that had been altered slightly to maintain his anonymity and keep his secret life secret, "shoot it down. It holds two Jedi, one of which will attempt to discover your reasoning behind the blockade. You must not allow that to happen." He layered his voice with Force Compulsion as he spoke to the head of the Trade Federation, a Neimoidian by the name of Viceroy Nute Gunray.

"It shall be done, my lord," he promised as the holo clicked out and he ordered to one of his men. "Fire on that cargo freighter!"

* * *

"Tali!" Talik barely heard her Master's yell as their vessel swerved to avoid the onslaught of enemy fire, but Sabé and Talik were far more used to piloting slimmer, faster freighters, and its bulkiness led to their downfall (quite literally) as one of the bolts clipped their discus center, sending them into a downwards spiral.

Talik could hardly feel anything but her own fear (she could hear Master Yoda's voice in her head chiding her that fear was the path to the Dark Side, a lesson that she knew her master had learned the hard way) and her bond with her master.

"Tali, hold on!" Sabé yelled, trying to stabilize the engines but failing horribly as the swamp-land came closer and closer to impact before she unbuckled herself to throw her body protectively over her apprentice's as the ship finally made contact with the ground and it exploded around them, sending them into a world of blackness and numbness.

Sabé's last act had been to expand the Force around her like a bubble in an effort to absorb most of the impact, but she couldn't be certain whether or not it worked at all, because the force of the explosion had expelled her and Talik through the transparisteel pane of the cockpit.

She had no way of knowing that that single act of survival could have changed the very course of history.

**AN: So, I might be updating this fanfic sparingly…it seems like it's going to be one of the longer ones…great. Obviously, Looking Beyond and Daughter of Rome are the major ones that I'm concerned with, but since I got obsessed (and when I say obsessed, I mean reobsessed) with Obi-Wan, I really felt the need to write this. And if you guys haven't read the Sobiwan fic Fair Maiden, Shining Knight by Sweet Christabel, you should. It's amazing! Anyways,****let me know what you think of it!**

**PS: Can you figure out where Anakin gets his inspiration for his uniform? ;) I just thought it would be a good thing for Sabé to wear that wasn't as feminized as what Aayla Secura wears, but wasn't as bland as what Siri Tachi and Obi-Wan wear.**


	2. Memories of the Past

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Two: Memories of the Past**

**AN:And here's the second chapter of A Shift in the Force! I really, really should be finishing my paper, but I'm kind of obsessed, but don't worry, I'll have the paper done by tonight! The reason I've got this next chapter out so soon is because I had already written a bit of this beforehand, like years beforehand, so I figured to my few reviewers, favoriters, and followers, you might like this! This chapter is mostly filled with flashbacks, so you have my apologies, but there's some of Sabé's background that needs to be established. There will only be a little bit more of flashbacks after this chapter, at least, that's how I'm planning it. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Edited: 1/31/16**

* * *

Awareness came slowly to Talik Shala, and when it did come, it was closely followed by pain. Granted, she had to admit, it would have been worse if her master had not shielded her. Though worry now gripped her as she forced her aching body up into a sitting position, glancing around her.

"Assess yourself, padawan," her master chiding her gently in her memory much to her chagrin.

Talik forced herself to calm down and checked herself for injuries. She had a sprained wrist, but no broken bones with varying cuts and enough bruises that she was glad she wasn't as pale as her master or they would have been more obvious.

The trade ship had been ripped apart by the explosion and she could still see a good bit of it fifty feet away. Where was-

Beep!

She gave a startled gasp as her master's precious R3 unit made himself known. "Arthree!" She rushed over to assist the astromech in freeing himself from the swamp lands. "Oh, Arthree…" He was missing a little bit of his plating and he was a little burned, but the R3 unit had made a miraculous survival. Well, miraculous, unless one considered just how fond Sabé was of the astromech and how willing she would be to throw herself between it and attack just as she would with any of her friends.

Arthree gave a doleful beep. Talik couldn't translate the sounds as well as Sabé could, but she could garner his meaning.

"I'm sure Master is fine," she assured the astromech –and she was quite certain that it was a bit more than machine, because it seemed to have a deep affection for its master-, but she wasn't sure if her voice was very convincing. "Come on, let's go search for her."

Without the use of the Force, it would have been much more difficult, but Talik was more than capable of using it to locate her under a large mass of metal. But locating her was not the problem; it was moving the metal itself. Talik almost burst into tears at the size of the durasteel crushing her master. No way was she going to be able to move that! Master would've been able to do it, she thought miserably, but not her.

But then her master's voice came to her once more. "One must not give up without first making an attempt," she had warned. "For that is true weakness of heart and of mind."

So Talik extended a hand before her and closed her eyes, drawing on the Force as her source of power. The strain was enormous and Talik felt as though a weight was pressing down on her arms, making them shake and tremble and cause a bead of sweat to form on her brow. The steel groaned as it was lifted slowly, but enough for her to see her master's form beneath it. Arthree wheeled forward, shooting out a wire that wrapped around her pale wrist before he wheeled backwards, dragging her out from under the wreckage.

"Master!" Talik cried as soon as the young woman was no longer in any danger, dropping the bit of the ship quickly to kneel at her master's side. "Oh, Master…"

But Sabé could have been dead to the world, she was certainly doing an exceptional impression of it. For deep within her own mind she dreamed of the past.

* * *

_"You have made a very grave mistake."_

_As Qui-Gon Jinn left the initiate duel room he found himself gazing into the troubled eyes of Sabé Amidala. Sabé had changed much over the years; her Padawan braid was now strung with various beads, she had exchanged the traditional Jedi garb for tight pants and a matching top that made it easy to move, with a small vest covering her bare shoulders, a pair of goggles dangling from her neck and her two purple-bladed lightsabers hanging from her waist._

_"How so, young Padawan?" Qui-Gon felt the need to remind Sabé of her place, but the girl never took notice- perhaps being out spoken was why Yoda had chosen her as his apprentice._

_"Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said, following him briskly. "You both share a connection, yet you seek to deny him a bond that will define you both because of misgivings you have from your previous apprentice."_

_Ah, so he had picked her because she was insightful, strong in the Force. Qui-Gon felt the smallest flicker of anger towards the girl, but then Padawan Amidala made a habit of making people angry._

_"I have no connection to the boy," he told her. The look she gave him in return was oddly patronizing._

_"The Will of the Force is a wonderful thing," she murmured, a slight smile present on her lips. Her eyes glowed with excitement. "Soon you will see."_

_She was starting to sound like her master. "What exactly do you intend for me to see?" he inquired._

_"Obi-Wan is no Xanatos."_

_Qui-Gon's eyes narrowed further at the mention of his apprentice whom had left the Jedi Temple and gone to the Dark Side. It was a bit of a sore point for the Jedi Knight._

_"Remember what I said, Master Jinn," she warned, stepping away from him. "Obi-Wan will surprise you, that much is sure."_

_"You're quite attached to your friend, young one," Qui-Gon told her calmly in an attempt to elicit a response from the child, but she surprised him._

_She smiled congenially. "How can I not be attached to a boy I call friend?"_

_And with that she left him._

* * *

"Okay," Talik murmured, fiddling with the ties of her master's jerkin before pushing it aside, along with the fabric underneath it. Sabé Amidala's flesh was far from perfect. Talik knew that her body had a number of deep scars, but Sabé wasn't ashamed of them. Some were from past mistakes, serving as a reminder to the future of what she should be careful of, and some told the story of someone willing to take blows for those whom she held close to her heart.

Talik had to wince when she saw the shrapnel embedded in her master's stomach, the blood churning her own stomach. She reached down into her tattered robes, withdrawing a few basic medical aid supplies from her medpack that Master Yoda was insistent that all Jedi carry at all times. She pasted the bacta patch against the broken skin, wary of the damage she would cause by removing the metal from her flesh, before tying a bandage around her mid section enough that it would staunch the flow of blood, but loose enough that it would not embed the shrapnel further into her stomach.

Sabé stirred faintly, but she did not awaken.

"Don't worry, Master," Talik whispered as night fell around them. "I'll get us out of here."

* * *

_"Master Qui-Gon?" Aayla Secura's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the Jedi curiously without his companion. "Where's Obi-Wan? Sabé wants to try out a new fighting technique on him." Her smile turned a bit wry. "She's already sent us all to the medical ward."_

_Qui-Gon almost smiled, but it fell quickly, catching her attention instantly._

_Her face fell slightly. "I see," she said quietly, before wincing, "damn…I was broadcasting; now Sabé knows."_

_"And where is she?" the master wondered for one of the close friends of his former Padawan._

_Aayla frowned intently at something above his head. "She's caught between meditation and going to the Archives…I think she'll settle on the Archives. She always prefers to have something to distract her before meditation, if she's given the option."_

_Qui-Gon nodded in understanding. "I think I will go have a few words with her."_

_Aayla bobbed her head in agreement, watching him go._

_Sabé Amidala was not so difficult to find in the Jedi Archives. She always sat in the same spot, as close to the middle as possible; Qui-Gon couldn't fathom why. Her face was tense as she pressed the buttons, making the images and the words on the screen in front of her shift._

_She didn't glance up as the master sat down in the vacant seat beside her._

_"Master Jinn," she murmured quietly, betrayal hanging in the air around her, though it was fading, albeit slowly._

_Darth Plagueis…Darth Bane…_

_"You seem to have a rare interest in the Dark Side of the Force, young Padawan," Qui-Gon noted._

_"Worried?" Sabé asked dryly, lowering her mental shields so that he might look upon her as she truly was._

_Qui-Gon reached out into the Force, and then a slight smile graced his lips. There was no trace of the darkness that had plagued Xanatos, in fact, Sabé radiated purity, like most Padawans and all Initiates did._

_"No," he said finally._

_She smiled, but it was barely one as she pulled the datachip from the machine, rubbing a tired hand over her forehead. "I should be getting back to my mission," she decided after a long moment. "I just needed something to distract me, that's all."_

_"How close were you to my former Padawan?" The words were a past tense and they burned his tongue as he said them._

_She frowned delicately and he could see that she was biting the inside of her mouth at the question. "Obi-Wan is very kind," she said finally, using the present-tense as a jibe towards him, "he had a lot of trouble with meditation and controlling his temper when he was younger. He noticed I was better at it than he was so he asked me for some pointers; that's how we became friends."_

_"That doesn't answer my question," he responded calmly._

_An edge of her lips uplifted slightly in amusement, the smile making her eyes glimmer like quartz. "Well, Master Jinn, I suggest you find that out yourself."_

_._

_._

_"I thought this was a solo mission," Aayla's voice blared from the comlink from where she was opposite of Kit and perpendicular to Sabé._

_"Master said I could bring two young Padawans if I wished," Sabé responded evenly, raising her scanner. "You didn't honestly expect me to leave you two alone, did you?"_

_"I wondered," Aayla muttered, because all three knew she was referring to Aayla's leave since she had returned from brush with the Dark Side. Sabé had barely left her side since then, but she had obligations to the Jedi that could not be ignored._

_"You'll be fine," Kit's calm voice came over the com, directed entirely towards Aayla. "Sabé, I've finished over here, I'm heading over to Aayla's location."_

_"Got it," Sabé answered, glancing around the area she was searching. "I've got seven more blocks to check."_

_This mission in particular had them all on edge, and it wasn't because it was Aayla's first day back. Three younglings had been poisoned in the last week with a dosage that would have killed any who were not force-sensitive._

_The Jedi Council was understandably enraged...or they would have been if they rage was a feeling they relied on. The particular poison had been traced back to the Works, an abandoned manufacturing center. Yoda had suggested Sabé take the mission because she was difficult to catch with her speed, hence why the three Padawans were searching the Works in the dead of night._

_A tingle rose up her spine and she drew her blaster, switching her comlink to Arthree. "Arthree? Are you picking up any disturbances?"_

_Several successive beeps and whirling noises were his -if the astromech was to be considered male- only response, but she understood him perfectly._

_Her jaw tightened. "I know what you mean," she agreed solemnly, her eyes scanning the darkness. "There's something off about this place."_

_Arthree gave a long, subdued beep and Sabé rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to get into trouble, stop being such a worrywart! It'll ruin your wiring..."_

_"Sabé? Do you copy?" Kit's voice echoed from her comlink._

_"I copy, I'm here," Sabé said, raising her wrist to her mouth. "Did you two find anything?"_

_"There's a big empty box, over here," Kit told her grimly. "It's got the poison's residue all over it and Aayla's collecting a sample to help identify a cure."_

_"I thought there wasn't any left?" Sabé said, confusion laced in her tone._

_"Barely," Aayla admitted, her voice growing louder as she no doubt moved closer to the comlink, "Just a few droplets, Sabé, I think the whole shipment has been used. That's probably why the attacks stopped; they ran out of supply."_

_The tingling had returned and this time Sabé could feel the Dark Side of the Force surrounding her, cocooning her...choking her off from the Light. She lifted her wrist to her mouth again. "I want you two to take my speeder back to the temple, find a med-droid, and then report to the Council right away."_

_"But then you'll be without transport!" Kit refuted, only to find himself interrupted by Aayla. "What's going on, Sabé?" she asked._

_"Can't be sure yet," Sabé said, eyeing everything that surrounded her. "I've just got a very bad feeling."_

_There was a very pregnant pause and then Aayla said, "We'll be back as soon as we can."_

_Sabé shut off her communicator, steeled her nerves, and entered the main building. The engine room was ablaze with fire, fire that was throughout the structure, and on a main platform a figure in a dark cloak sat, his back to her. Sabé was suddenly reminded of a terrible vision she'd had when she was younger, of a man in a dark cloak, a man who had cut down youngling after youngling without a second thought. Unfortunately she did not have time to analyze the meaning behind the vision (as she never did) as the figure spoke._

_"Welcome, Sabé Naberrie," the man said, standing suddenly, for it had been a male who had spoken._

_Sabé called her twin violet lightsabers to her palms. They whirred to life, humming with power as she ascended to the platform. "Very few know that name," she said, calmer than she felt, which a mixture of fear, anxiety, and nervousness. "How is it that you came by it?"_

_He turned swiftly, lifting his large hood back to reveal the face beneath. Sabé barely held back a gasp; she had heard tales of male Zabrak with Sith-like skin patterns and cranial horns, but she never thought she'd meet one. This one in particular was strong with the Dark Side of the Force; she knew that if they fought, she would lose._

_"Yours is the name of a child destined for darkness," he said, his yellow eyes glowing malevolently._

_Sabé's grip tightened around her blade hilts. She thought once more of her nightmare, only this time with her face being the one under the hood. She gave her thoughts a mental shake. No, he was lying. He was trying to illicit a response from her. "Clearly," she said, extending her foot and bending forward slightly into an offensive crouch, "you have me confused with someone else."_

_"I don't." he said with certainty, his cloak falling to the ground as he ignited his double-bladed crimson lightsaber...the color of the Sith. But Sabé didn't have time to think about that either as they both rushed forward, their swords clashing with a hiss. The good thing about being a Jedi Guardian was that you had more training in combat that normal Initiates, however, Sabé had hardly been taught any of the advanced techniques of the Guardians, having only been considered for becoming a Guardian within the month, but she could hold on her own, the only question was for how long._

_She was on the defensive, blocking each blow -some more difficultly than others-, flipping and dodging to avoid some._

_"You will not win against me," he told her, aiming a solid blow at her stomach that had her dropping to the ground and rolling out of the wall and into a standing position once more. She was weakening, and she knew it._

_-_Help-_ she whispered to the Force. _-Can anyone hear me?-

_Silence and then _-Sabé?-

_Sabé could've cried. _-Kit!-_ she thought in relief. _-Kit! I need help!-

-Trouble?-_ Kit asked, his voice resonating in her skull, before she flashed an image of her fighting the Zabrak male as quickly as she could without losing focus from the task at hand. _–Aayla and I are coming.-

_Sabé swung her arm down, using the Force to bring down a crate on the Zabrak, but moved it easily with the wave of his hand._

_Sabé leapt up onto the railing using a series of somersaults to dodge his strikes. -_I'm at the Works, inside the main structure. There's a man, I—_She was cut off by a sudden strike that knocked her off of her feet._

_There was a short silence on his end while she struck her blades against her opponents. _-Help me, Kit-_ her thought whispered._

-We're on our way.-_ Kit assured her, his voice tinged with worry. _–We'll be there in-

-Too late-_ she thought quietly as she was forced to her knees by the strength of his blows, his lightsaber growing closer to her skin with each passing second._ -My time's run out.-

_The Zabrak smirked as he sliced through her forearm like a knife through warm butter, delighting in the bloodcurdling scream that escaped her lips._

* * *

The sun was barely starting to rise over Naboo, but Talik was already awake with her master's head propped up on her lap. Sabé was capable of Force-healing, like many were, but she had said that Talik was not strong enough in her utilization of the Force for her to teach it to her yet, but to Talik's annoyance.

If only she had taught it to her before now, Talik probably would have her master awake by now.

"Are our communications knocked out?" she asked the R3 unit which had maintained a silent vigil through the night, checking the surroundings for any threats to his comatose master and her apprentice.

Thankfully there had been none.

Talik stared somberly down at the pallor of her master's face, noticing how her eyes were moving from under her eyelids.

"I say we give her thirty minutes," she decided, speaking to the astromech as if it was a human, "then we start moving."

Arthree beeped a response that she couldn't understand.

* * *

_Aayla leapt out of the speeder, racing up the steps of the once great industrial center, searching for her friend's familiar presence._

_-Ahead- the Force whispered, and without a second thought she raced up to the grated platform._

_"Sabé!"_

_The sixteen year old had numerous burns covering her body, her clothes were ripped, and her goggles were dangling broken from her neck._

_She froze for a moment; she was missing an arm._

_"Sabé!" she rushed to her side just as Kit came into view, lifting her body from the platform slightly._

_Kit leaned down beside her as well and brushed the back of his fingers against her temple and down her cheek, something he had learned at the Jedi Academy, to sense a Jedi's force-signature. He relaxed slightly._

_"She's alive?" Aayla breathed in relief._

_"She won't be for long if we don't get her to the Hall of Healing," Kit added a bit solemnly, causing the relief to be wiped from her face._

_Aayla nodded seriously, glancing around. "She'll kill me if we leave without her lightsabers," she muttered, calling the silver hilts to her hands from where they had fallen several feet away while her companion lifted the slim girl into his arms, and they both returned to the speeder, racing it towards the Jedi temple._

_._

_._

_When Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi returned from Melida/Daan they found a large number of the Jedi in the Jedi Temple rushing about. It didn't take long to recognize that the ones rushing were ones with abilities in the healing arts._

_"Mace!" Qui-Gon grabbed his old friend as he moved past. "What the devil is going on?"_

_"The poison Padawans Secura, Fisto, and Amidala discovered is having highly negative effects on the younglings." Master Mace Windu gestured to the healers rushing about. "They are trying to limit the casualties, but there's more."_

_"Oh?" Qui-Gon asked, his worry spiking. He hadn't thought the poison the younglings had ingested had been that serious, but he should have known better, it was poison after all._

_"Padawan Amidala is in the bacta chamber. She's sustained rather serious injuries," Mace said with a deep frown on his face, "she might not pull through."_

_Obi-Wan swallowed thickly, his heart beating rapidly against his chest. Sabé? What had happened to her?_

_"Her injuries were made by a lightsaber," Mace added, giving his old friend a meaningful stare._

_"Worry them, you should not," a familiar wizened voice said, "now removed from the bacta, my Padawan is."_

_"Master Yoda," Qui-Gon said, giving the small Jedi a respectful bow, his two companions doing the same._

_"Thankful, I am," Yoda continued, "that still a Padawan, I have."_

_"Is Sabé going to be alright?" Obi-Wan asked quickly, speaking for the first time since they had returned to Coruscant._

_"Stronger than she looks, my padawan is," Yoda assured the boy. "Recover, she will." And then he gave a sly comment that slighted Obi-Wan. "Received much worse injuries from you, Obi-Wan Kenobi, she has. Overcome them as well, she will."_

_And with that proclamation Yoda limped away, leaning heavily on his walking stick, looking every bit his eight hundred or so years, and making Obi-Wan feel more miserable than he had in a very long time; and as sad as it was, it was all his fault._

_Would she ever forgive him?_

_Understandably morose, Obi-Wan entered Sabé's room. Aayla Secura was sitting by her head, obscuring her face from view, but going by how she was moving her arms, she was re-braiding Sabé's hair. Obi-Wan almost smiled; Sabé hated having her hair down, no matter how many times her friends told her it looked lovely. Stepped forward and both Aayla and Kit looked up. Aayla's eyes were rimmed with red, contrasting with her blue skin and Kit was uncharacteristically tense._

_Aayla's eyes narrowed in true anger. "What are you doing here?" she spat._

_"I just-" Obi-Wan cut himself off feeling a bit hopeless as his eyes dropped to stare at Sabé._

_He almost didn't recognize her. Her cheeks were as white as snow, making her eyelashes look much darker than they should have. Her arm was wrapped in bandages, and the other one was exposed, only extending to just below her elbow where a tight salve-soaked binding had been tied._

_"How bad is it?" he asked weakly._

_"She's had worse," Kit said, making Obi-Wan think that he, like Yoda, was referring to his leaving of the Order, because he knew that Sabé had never lost any limbs before._

_"I would suggest a lot of groveling when she wakes up," he added seriously. "Her loyalty to the Order probably ranks higher than her loyalty to you, now."_

_And he wasn't wrong._

**AN:Tell me what you all think! REVIEW! **


	3. Resolutions

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Three: Resolutions**

**AN: Now that I think about it, this chapter will probably be completely filled with flashbacks as well, so, sorry! But you all should enjoy the back story and how Sabé finally starts talking to Obi-Wan and a bit more details about her.**

**Edited: 2/21/16**

* * *

_Sabé felt numb...and downright terrible. She blinked her eyes, having around the ward dazedly; she had never been injured so horribly that she needed to remain in the Hall of Healing for days on end. She clenched her right, artificial hand into a fist. It was very odd, she had decided when she awoke to not being one-handed, and she hadn't changed her mind. The arm was lighter than her real hand, so that would be difficult to adjust to. The structure was a bit skeletal, but, Sabé supposed glumly, that was to be expected. She ran a hand through her hair, irritation spiking through her when she realized her hair was no longer in its characteristic braids, but hanging free. That med droid was starting to get on her nerves...or maybe it was doing it on purpose, meaning Sabé could take pleasure in reworking its circuits._

_With a disdainful sigh, Sabé threw off her covers and swung her legs over the side of the hospital bed. Her legs tingled from disuse, but she didn't mind as she searched the room for some suitable clothing._

_Unfortunately, the closest she came was a loose beige tunic and dark pants, both that were obviously suited for a male. Still, she had to admit it was better than an open medical gown. She frowned at the number of hair ties that lay on the side table, before simply hiking her kinked brown locks into a high ponytail. She grabbed both her lightsabers with her "good hand" and tiptoed out of the room. Luckily for Sabé, the other healers were otherwise occupied at the moment. Ducking between the many Jedi, she escaped down to the cavernous levels of the Temple. It was dark and quiet and calm. Sabé felt herself unraveling almost unconsciously at the familiar energy that flowed in the lower levels. For now, it was empty, and for that, Sabé was grateful._

_She set down her lightsabers, their dull thunk echoing in the silent hall. She looked down at her artificial arm, twisting the wrist slightly; she couldn't get used to the fact that she no longer had a real arm, only a cheap knockoff. Sabé should have been grateful, she supposed, but she missed her old appendage. Sabé pouted slightly._

_"It's no use crying over spilled muja," she told herself firmly. "You're just going to have to get used to it."_

_And then she ran, flipping into the air as she did so. It was a perfectly executed cartwheel, but when her arms made contact with the floor she collapsed in a heap with a loud yelp._

_"Padawan Amidala?" Sabé very nearly blushed beneath her limbs; why was it that Master Plo Koon always seemed to find her in the most awkward of situations? "Do you require assistance?"_

_She untangled herself to look up at Jedi Master Plo Koon._

_"That's alright," she said with a groan, rubbing her head. "I've got this."_

_"If you are certain," Plo Koon returned agreeably, turning on his heel when finally Sabé sighed._

_"Alright," she admitted, "I could use a little help."_

_The Kel Dor master could've smiled, but Sabé couldn't really tell with the protective mask that covered his mouth._

_"You seem to be having difficulty using your prosthetic limb," Plo observed as he helped her into a standing position._

_"A bit, Master," she admitted, dusting off her too-big clothes. "Though I suppose it's simply a matter of...adjustment."_

_"I believe that as well, Padawan. So you must re-learn your skills that depend on the use of your hands," Plo told her. "You should start with balance."_

_"Of course," Sabé muttered mutinously._

_She positioned herself and ran a few steps, launching her hands towards the floor. She gave a noise of surprise when Plo Koon strode forward and gripped her ankles tightly so she was forced to maintain pressure on her wrists._

_It wasn't painful, but it wasn't very comfortable either._

_"Allow yourself to become familiar with your new limitations and expectations," Plo Koon warned as he released her ankles._

_Sabé gritted her teeth, but forced herself to remain in that position._

_Plo Koon bent down so she could see him. "There is no room for doubt on the path of the Jedi, young Padawan."_

_"Yes, sir," Sabé hissed through her teeth, struggling to maintain her balance. "Always happy to learn from a master."_

_Plo Koon's answering chuckle was already moving farther away as he left her to her own devices._

_Sabé focused, but a split second later her wrist crumpled underneath her, making him chuckle louder. Sabé sank into a few different fighting stances of Ataru, as Master Yoda had first taught her. To her eternal annoyance, she found herself a great deal unbalanced._

_"Like some help, would you?"_

_Sabé smiled at her master's voice and turned to beam brightly at the small green ancient Jedi Master. "Master! My apologies for not sensing you, I was a bit focused." Embarrassment rippled through their Master-Padawan bond._

_"Understandable, it is," he said, moving forward with the aid of his cane. "However, once healed, expect you to sense me, I will."_

_"Yes, Master," Sabé said obediently, bowing her head slightly._

_"Problems with your arm, you are having, hm?" Yoda guessed as he came to stand before his much taller apprentice of eight years._

_"Yes, Master," Sabé repeated patiently, lifting the metallic arm slightly. "It's much lighter than what I'm used to…but Master Plo says I'll get used to it."_

_"And so you will," Yoda agreed just as patiently, summoning his lightsaber to his hand. "Learn best in combat, you will."_

_Sabé barely had any time to blink, let alone activate her own lightsabers as her master struck against hers._

_"Come," he commanded of her, "much to teach you, I still have."_

_And much to learn, she still had._

* * *

_"Just do it!"_

_"But-"_

_"Kit!"_

_"Fine…"_

_Sabé hefted the pair of lightsabers between her hands, the twin blades glowing with vibrancy. Her face was set in determination as she finally goaded Kit into attacking her full-on. The dual-bladed style, Jar'Kai was more difficult than it looked, and against brute strength, Sabé's form greatly lacked, hence why she was practicing against Kit, who was much stronger than Aayla (who partnered with her more than Kit did)._

_She brought her blades up so that they were parallel, blocking his first attack before responding with her own. But her strikes were shallow with her left hand as she was still getting used to the artificial hand she had had for about a week._

_"Master Yoda." Mace Windu came to stand beside the old Jedi. "Your apprentice seems to have bounced back quickly from her injuries."_

_"Left a stain on her, the Dark Side has," Yoda said solemnly. "Now fragile, she is. More susceptible to the Dark Side, she is."_

_Mace frowned at his words, watching the Padawan's movements carefully. They were the same as any he had ever seen from her, focused and centered, but when he reached out into the Force he could see what Master Yoda meant. The attack had shattered her confidence in her abilities; she was inwardly contemplating so much that he couldn't even focus on a single train of thought without getting lost._

_"How did I not sense it?" he spoke in surprise, despite the fact that he was a Jedi Master (having recently ascended to the Council only two months previously) he had not been able to sense how deep Sabé's concerns were._

_"Hides her thoughts well, my Padawan does," Yoda said as he limped forward with the aid of his cane, causing Kit and Sabé to pause and Aayla to walk over and join them as the two Jedi Masters came closer._

_"You're sure you were released from the hospital ward?" Aayla asked in concern, earning her an affronted stare. "What? It's been known to happen!"_

_"Master," Sabé said in her calm voice that betrayed none of her internal turmoil that even Mace was impressed, "Master Windu, what may I help you with."_

_"Given your report, you have not," Yoda chided her._

_She bowed again. "Yes Master." Sabé took a deep breath and began at the beginning in a formal voice that she often used when addressing those of higher status. Aayla and Kit called it her regal accent. "Padawan Secura, Padawan Fisto, and I split the Works up into sections to search more effectively. I was working a lot slower than the other two, so Ki- Padawan Fisto headed over to assist Padawan Secura and I continued with my sector."_

_"You did not find the poison?" inquired Mace._

_Sabé shook her head, her braids going in all directions. "Padawan Fisto informed me he and Padawan Secura had found the remnants of a container that still had a sample of the poison and I told them to head back without me."_

_"Why ask them to leave, did you?" Yoda asked._

_Sabé pinched the bridge of her nose. "Because I had a bad feeling- like there was nothing but the dark and cold."_

_"You mean the Dark Side of the Force?" Mace offered, scrutinizing her slightly._

_"Yes, master," Sabé agreed. "After they left I headed to the main structure and there was a man waiting for me." She faltered slightly. "He was a Zabrak and he called me by a name that only myself and Master Plo Koon know."_

_Aayla and Kit shared a look of confusion. What name?_

_"And what name would that be?" Mace asked._

_Her soft eyes hardened and her lips sewed shut. It was a surprising action, given how open she was._

_Yoda watched his apprentice quietly. Artificial light glanced off her skin and in an instant he saw her growing before his eyes into a beautiful young woman, a master in every sense of the word. He saw her fighting with her twin blades with a grace he had never seen her use. But most of all, he saw her strong in the Force, firmly ingrained in the Light._

_"Understand, I do," he said finally, "a private word with my Padawan, I require."_

_Sabé inclined her head slightly and followed him away from her friends and Master Windu._

_"More to say, I sense," Yoda said in his aged voice, glancing upwards to her._

_Sabé winced at how easily he saw through her._

_"Yours is the name of a child destined for darkness," that was what he had said. Darkness…the Dark Side, she didn't want to think she could sink so low to fall for their ideals._

_"Worry and fear I sense in you," Yoda spoke. "Fear-"_

_"Leads to the Dark Side, I know," Sabé said dejectedly. "Master…I feel…inadequate."_

_Yoda gave her a strange look, like he couldn't ascertain where she came up with this assumption. "Inadequate, you are not. Win against your enemy, you could not. Overcome your fear, you will."_

_Sabé didn't have his confidence._

_"A new mission you have been given," he continued, "to Naboo it will take you."_

_Sabé blinked at the mention of her homeworld. "Naboo?"_

_"Hm," Yoda agreed, "Possible attack on the Governor of Theed, there is, if attacked his daughter is."_

_Her heart rate skyrocketed. That didn't sound like a very good idea._

_"Accompany you Obi-Wan Kenobi will."_

_That comment had Sabé reeling backwards and she opened her mouth suddenly to disagree, but when she caught the steely glint in her master's eye, her protests fell silent. "Yes, Master."_

_"Meditate, you now will."_

_"Yes, Master," she repeated somberly as she turned on her heel and made for the meditation rooms on the second floor. Who knew? Maybe quieting her mind would do her some good, and maybe provide the perfect distraction from one Obi-Wan Kenobi._

* * *

_Awkward was a good way to describe how Obi-Wan felt sitting across from Sabé who sat with her elbows resting on her knees, her hands interlocked and supporting her chin as she stared sightlessly ahead._

_The light glanced off of her new arm, making him flinch slightly._

_"What's the matter, Padawan Kenobi?" she asked in a voice much cooler than he was used to. "Never seen an artificial limb before?"_

_He opened his mouth to defend himself, but her attention had already shifted from him, her eyes drifting shut as she breathed in and out deeply._

_We are encouraged to love, she thought to herself, but we are forbidden from being in love. That in itself is a contradiction. How can we understand love, if we do not experience it? Master says dangerously strong emotions can lead to the Dark Side, but isn't it just as possible that love can firmly ingrain one in the light?_

_That nightmarish vision she had had since she was a little girl flashed before her eyes of that hooded figure striking down Jedi after Jedi. She bit her lip._

_No, she told herself, that Zabrak was wrong. I am light, I am good, and I am a Jedi. That is the path I chose, and it is the one I would choose again, if I was given the opportunity. I may not agree with some of the Order's teachings, but that does not change who I am._

_"Padawan Amidala, Kenobi?"_

_Sabé opened her eyes as the captain came out of the cockpit. "We've arrived."_

_Sabé nodded her thanks and paid him the credits for the trip as she descended from the ramp with Obi-Wan sticking close to her side, to her annoyance, but, she supposed, that was to be expected. Obi-Wan had never been to Naboo, and neither had Sabé._

_It was beautiful and bright…everything that Coruscant wasn't. Sabé had fallen in love with the world that she had been born on. How could she not? The very air held veins of the Force._

_"This way," she barked to Obi-Wan, returning to the task at hand and searching for the Governor's house. She didn't dare to say father, she couldn't._

_His home was large, but modest, she noticed as they waited patiently in the lobby area for him to greet them. She hadn't realized that her family had been very political; Governor of Theed hardly seemed like more than a title to her when she had first heard it, but it certainly explained a few things._

_"My apologies for keeping you waiting," Governor Naberrie said, radiating apology as he gave the pair a swift bow._

_The boy must have been seventeen or eighteen with an auburn color to his hair and bright hazel eyes that seemed a little dimmed, and his companion-_

_Ruwee very nearly gasped. "Sabé?"_

_His little girl had blossomed into a beautiful young woman of sixteen. It was almost a shame that she was a Jedi. Her hair, unlike her sisters' was tightly restrained in braids that swung around her face and her eyes, as brown as her mother's, were slightly startled._

_She bowed respectfully. "I am Sabé Amidala, sir, and this is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I understand that the Jedi Council contacted you to tell you we were coming?"_

_"I-" Ruwee floundered for a second, "yes, they did. They said that they suspected that an attack would be made against my family?"_

_"Perhaps we should discuss this in private?" Sabé suggested, her eyes falling on one of the members of his staff who was taking a few sheets to be laundered._

_"Of course," he said quickly, "my study is free, please follow me."_

_He sat behind his desk, waiting for the pair to sit in the spare chairs before him. He couldn't help but notice how his daughter angled her body away from her companion's and saw the flash of regret within the lad's soft hazel eyes. Hm…they must have been friends that recently had a falling out._

_"I must admit, you were not what I was expecting," he said finally._

_"Because we're Padawans?" the boy spoke for the first time with an arched eyebrow._

_"Or because I am a woman?" Sabé continued before a light flush adorned her cheeks at how she and her friend had shared a similar thought._

_"Oh, no," Ruwee said quickly, "I just wasn't expecting my daughter, that's all."_

_The boy –Obi-Wan, was it?- started slightly in surprise, staring at his friend in surprise._

_Sabé's smile was sweet, reminding him of little six-year old Padmé's. "I guess I'm not quite what you expected, am I…Father?" The word felt foreign on her tongue, but not in an entirely bad way._

_"Not quite," he admitted, his eyes twinkling. "Hello, Sabé."_

_"Hello," she said quietly, "but I'm afraid this isn't a social visit."_

_"It never is," Ruwee said tiredly. "Tell me about this attack."_

_"Last week a few Initiates at the Temple were poisoned," Sabé explained, "My master had a few friends and I check it out and somehow," irritation flickered in her eyes, "I happened across a man who knew me by my birth name, which I haven't told anyone." She wrinkled her nose slightly. "We dueled. He won and I lost my arm in the process." Sabé lifted up her metallic for him to see._

_She could feel his anger and it felt like a fierce burn across her, like a sudden throb of her heart. Being so close to someone like her father she found was quite strange, but his anger surprised her. This was a man who barely knew her, but here he was, angry on her behalf. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that._

_She glanced to the side and met Obi-Wan's eyes for a split second, before they shifted away, focusing on anything but him._

_The disappointment roiled in her stomach and she bit the inside of her mouth as she tried not to focus on it, but that was a bit difficult._

_"Until we can ascertain if you are the true target of the attack or not, Obi-Wan and I will be stationed here on Naboo."_

* * *

_Padmé thought Padawan Amidala was very pretty. She was only there for a temporary assignment, that's what Mommy said, she and her friend were here to protect Daddy, that's what Mommy said. Sola hated her, but Padmé didn't understand why; Sabé was nice and confident and capable. Sabé was just like what Padmé wanted to be when she grew up. She didn't want to be like Sola who cared more about meeting the perfect man and settling down to have a family, like Mommy said they should._

_But that sounded so _boring!

_"Sabé," Obi-Wan, Sabé's male friend, spoke from behind the curtain that hid the balcony that overlooked the city. "Can we talk?"_

_"We are talking," Sabé said dryly and Padmé peered though the small space between the curtains to look outside. Sabé was sitting on the balcony with her eyes closed, her hands resting on her knees, and her legs crossed. She was breathing in deep enough that she could have been sleeping, but she wasn't. "What would you want to speak of, Padawan Kenobi?"_

_Obi-Wan frowned at her. "Sabé," he said in warning._

_Her lips twitched lightly. "Obi-Wan."_

_It was the first time that Sabé had said his first name in about three months, but Padmé had no way of knowing that._

_"Would saying I'm sorry help me at all?" he couldn't help but ask._

_Sabé inclined her head slightly to the side, her eyes still closed. "Perhaps…perhaps not." She sighed, her eyes fluttering open to reveal her amber-brown eyes. "I think I really wanted you to apologize at the beginning, but I suppose we all make mistakes, don't we?"_

_His brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "So, you don't want me to apologize?"_

_"What would you be apologizing for?" Sabé asked with a light shrug. "I have let go of my disappointment, besides," a smile twitched her lips, "I'm not very good at staying angry with anyone."_

_Obi-Wan couldn't deny that._

_"I would make a very bad Sith," she realized with a laugh, "I'm sure my attacker will be most disappointed."_

_Obi-Wan's smile was only slightly there. "Did you ever consider leaving the Order?" he asked her._

_"The Order is my life," she said after a long period of silence, "but it is not the only thing that is in my life. I believe that there are many flaws in its core beliefs, but that's just me…and I'm not sure Master Yoda would approve."_

_"But you're here," Obi-Wan said, "you're here with your family, with your sisters and your parents, doesn't it cross your mind?"_

_Padmé gasped loud enough for both of their eyes to turn in the direction from where she was hiding and then she ran away before they could move._

_"Sometimes," Sabé admitted sadly, "I wonder how different life would have been if I hadn't been born with a high midi-chlorian count, but it's best not to dwell on things that will never be, as Master says." She smiled. "Family is important, Obi-Wan, but if I had not gone to the Order, I would not have made such strong bonds with Aayla or Kit or you. Sometimes it's just best to focus on the good of life rather than the impossible."_

_Obi-Wan always thought it was weird when she got all philosophical on him, but he never questioned it; that was just the way that Sabé was._

_"We should send a message to the Council," Sabé decided after listening to the night for a moment, "it is clear that the threat was only to me and not to the Naberrie House."_

_It was strange how she referred to her family as if they were separate from me._

_"That's concerning," Obi-Wan said. "Who wants you dead?"_

_Sabé shrugged. "Who would know my birth name? I can't really say."_

_She unfolded her legs and jumped lightly back onto the floor, noticing the slight height difference between her and Obi-Wan (Wonderful, he would be able to use his height to his advantage in any duel they ever had, that was just what she needed) and finding it irritating, but thank the stars she was still growing. Sabé and Aayla were among the shortest of any of the Padawans in the Temple and they were determined to beat out a few other Padawans before they stopped growing._

_"Let me know when your shift is up," she continued, dusting off her pants, "though I doubt you'll find anything." She gave him a slight wave with her fingers before turning on her heel and disappearing of the stairs and off the balcony, the sunset casting red highlights into her hair as she did so._

_The Force hummed in content, but Obi-Wan couldn't fathom why._

**AN:**** Thanks for the positive response for this fanfic, it really makes me feel good about writing it, and though I really like how many of you favorite and follow this story, I would also like some reviews! Reviews make me very happy! Anyways, I might have the next chapter up by the end of the week, but don't hold your breath; I'm very bad at time management! Until next time, my faithful readers!**


	4. Escape From Naboo

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Four: Escape from Naboo**

**AN: Thanks so much for all the positive reviews for this story! I was kind of considering going back to the drawing board when you all gave me such compliments! So thanks for that! I probably would have updated this fanfic yesterday if I hadn't gone out with a couple of my girl-friends. I would apologize, but I had too much fun! Anyways, enjoy the chapter! There is plot in this one!**

* * *

Talik had to hide herself, her master, and Arthree when she saw the sheer number of droids. It was at that point that she had given up all hope entirely, but luckily, around this time Sabé was beginning to stir.

When Sabé finally awoke, she was quite disoriented; the world around her seemed like a jumble of memories. She frowned slightly, focusing her mind and allowing the memories to fade into the back of her mind, focusing on the present.

"Talik?" she rasped the name of her apprentice who came instantly to her side, having only abandoned it temporarily to keep a look out behind the foliage that she had artfully woven around them.

"Master!" Talik cried in relief. "You're awake!"

Sabé made an attempt to sit up, but pain flared quickly through her stomach and she had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out. She pulled apart the bandages, much to Talik's dismay to reveal her riddled flesh, the embedded metal stained with her blood.

"Ah," she said slowly, "that does present a problem."

Sabé rested her palm on her stomach, closing her eyes and sensing the extent of her injuries. They weren't as bad as they looked, Sabé could tell that from the start. The shrapnel hadn't caught any of her internal organs, which was always a good thing.

"Master, please don't-" Talik started to say when the metal all flew out of her stomach all at once. This time, she could not stifle the small cry of agony. Talik couldn't help but wince at the sound. It was strange to see her master in pain; she had always thought that her master was invincible, despite the fact that she had always had that metal prosthetic as a mark of her weaknesses.

Sabé hissed a breath out from her gritted teeth, exhaling the breath slowly as she attempted to mildly Force-heal the wound, however, in her current state, what she could and couldn't do were quite different.

Her attention wavered and her head tilted upwards at the sounds of trees being broken down in the path of the massive land crafts of the Trade Federation. "Talik," she barked, "go check and see if anything is coming towards us."

"Yes, Master!"

Talik scrambled to her feet to peer out from around the foliage, but she had to lean back suddenly as a chunk of metal flew past her nose. "Holy-!"

Three pairs of eyes turned in her direction and she stared. It was Master's friend Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn…and a Gungan.

"Padawan Shala," Qui-Gon said, drawing her attention, "where is your master? The Council had received word that you were shot out of the sky by the Trade Federation."

"Um…yes," Talik said in embarrassment, "Master's this way, but she's injure-"

The pair was striding in the direction she had indicated faster than she had time to blink with the Gungan following close behind.

"Master Jinn," Sabé said, wincing slightly, "I suspect you and Obi-Wan were the secondary negotiators?"

"Yes," the master said, kneeling down to rest his palm against her exposed stomach, calling upon the Force. Sabé glanced upwards to meet Obi-Wan's eyes.

"Believe me," she said dryly, "I have looked worse."

Obi-Wan tried not to smile at his old friend. "I can remember…maybe you should try to keep out of trouble, Sabé, you'll live longer."

She snorted as Qui-Gon removed his hand. The wound was not as deep as it was before, but the pain was manageable as Sabé flinched in tying the bandages around her midsection.

"Tell us what happened before you were shot out of the sky," Qui-Gon invited. "Or perhaps that can wait…more droids are probably coming."

"More?!" the Gungan seemed to be a bit thrown through a loop as Obi-Wan easily lifted his brunette friend, much to her annoyance and embarrassment, into his arms.

"You tell Aayla about this and I'll kick your butt in saber training," she warned in his ear. He suppressed a smile as they set off with Arthree at the rear and Talik jogging alongside the older padawan, her master's blades clutched in her fists.

"Exqueez me," the Gungan interrupted, "but da moto grande safe place would be Otoh Gunga. Tis where I grew up...Tis safe city."

"A safe city?" Talik asked in surprise as they all stopped to stare at him, being a bit skeptical at the same time.

"Um-hm!"

"Could you take us there?" Qui-Gon asked with a demanding edge to his voice.

That made the Gungan retract a bit, becoming a little nervous. "Uh," he said, drawing out the syllable, "on second thought, no, not really, no, no."

Irritation flickered through Qui-Gon's eyes as he placed his hands on his hips. "No?" Obi-Wan privately thought that Sabé's was more impressive, but then, she'd been using that look -and the one that involved her crossing her arms and giving him a stare-down- on him and her other friends for years.

Sabe tugged slightly on Obi-Wan's robe, making his head turn towards hers so fast that he almost kissed her, but she didn't seem to notice, miming for him to set her down. He arched an eyebrow at her, to which she gave him a look that told him she was capable of walking without assistance, thank you very much. So he did as she asked.

"I's embarrassing!" The Gungan claimed, "boot... My afrai my've benn banished, my've forgotten. Der Bosses would do terrible tings to me. Terrible tings if my goen back dare."

"Then why bring it up?" Talik snapped in irritation, making her master's grip on her shoulder tighten and earn her a rather sharp look from the young woman.

"Do you hear that?" the older Jedi asked of the Gungan, to which the Gungan nodded. "That is the sound of a thousand terrible things heading this way."

"When they find us," Obi-Wan continued, his eyes dancing in the light, making Sabé roll her eyes slightly, "they will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces and blast us into oblivion!"

Sabé bit her lip to hide a smile as the Gungan sputtered before finally agreeing.

She could feel Obi-Wan's worry, much to her annoyance. "Talik and I will remain on land," Sabé decided, as if picking up his thoughts. "We'd be useless in an underwater city in my state." Her eyes flickered to Qui-Gon's and she seemed to pick a thought right out of his head as well. "We'll need to leave by ship…so we will await you in the hanger bay."

Qui-Gon gave a curt nod of agreement, concurring with her line of thought.

"Wait, Obi-Wan!" Sabé called suddenly, unclipping one of her sabers from her belt and tossing it to him, summoning his weapon from his belt faster than he could blink. "Yours will cool down better above land and being with a weapon that works is better than being with a weapon that doesn't." Her coffee eyes shifted to Qui-Gon. "Concur, do you not, Master Jinn?"

His smile was wry at Master Yoda's familiar speech. "I do."

"See you," Sabé added to the three before she placed a firm hand on her padawan's shoulder as the pair followed Arthree in the opposite direction.

"How are we going to reach the hanger bay without being seen by the droid army?" Talik questioned as Arthree beeped in annoyance, not being very pleased by the accumulation of sludge on his wirings and plating.

"Oh there are other ways of entering a city unseen," Sabé said in slight amusement, "if you know where to look."

Why was it that Talik always thought her master was the sort to get into heaps of trouble when she was younger? Of course, Master was one of the most well-behaved knights, so maybe she was a secret prankster…

"Arthree, do you still have that map of Theed that I had you download?"

Arthree beeped an affirmative as a blue hologram flickered into view, powered by the blue button directly below his domed head.

"Theed has a number of passageways hidden throughout the city," Sabé explained, pointing to various locations that Arthree had highlighted. "Most of them were constructed as a way for the citizens to escape from their homes in times of stress, such as wars, but they've been out of use for a few decades, which gives us the advantage."

"How's that?" Talik asked curiously.

Sabé gave her a wink. "It means, no one's going to see us sneaking around underground."

"We wouldn't want that," Talik said dryly.

"You really wouldn't," Sabé said seriously, "Them knowing we're alive would cause problems, seeing as I'm a bit incapacitated at the moment."

"Yes, Master," she said dutifully, her pale eyes glancing over the blueprint, pointing to a point on the map. "So we're here?"

Sabé shook her head, pointing with a metal finger to a different point. "No here...the closest entrance is less than half a mile from here. Come on." Her eyes fastened on Arthree for a moment. "Arthree, use your rocket boosters and hide when you get there, alright?"

He beeped in agreement as they turned away from him.

Talik stuck to her master's side like glue, wary of the woman's injuries, but Sabé never let on that her stomach wound was bothering her. But then, this was Sabé she was talking about, the Jedi had nerves of durasteel, or, at least that was the way it seemed.

The entrance, as it happened, was a vent.

Talik gazed at it with dubious eyes. "It seems a bit…small," she said in a voice that was filled with doubt.

Sabé spared her apprentice a smile as she unscrewed the covering. "A little faith, Padawan. Never judge anything at face value." And then she leapt upwards into the vent, bracing her arms and legs against the side as she slowly made her way up.

Talik sighed, but she followed suit, lest her master got too far ahead and forgot about her (because that had happened once before, much to both of their embarrassments).

The vent actually wasn't as small as Talik had originally thought, and she fit into it with ease. However, she was more concerned for her master who had a larger body mass than her (not that she was fat, or anything, just that she was taller and heavier than Talik because she was older) and she still had her injury.

Crawling up the vent wasn't very comfortable, but there was only one direction to go, so they didn't have much of a choice. Needless to say, Talik was glad when the vent leveled out, because her weight almost made her slip a few times. She was a little more than slightly irritated that Sabé hadn't had that problem, but then, Sabé probably had a lot of practice.

She had heard Knight Kit Fisto talk about her when she was younger, how she was the best at squeezing into tight spaces when they were both Padawans. She got the feeling that the Nautolan was a little jealous of her master and Aayla because they were both very light on their feet, fast to move, and thin enough to hide in places that he couldn't have dreamed of. Talik hid a giggle at that.

Warning echoed in the Force, causing her to freeze in her movements and force the humor to leak from her as she remembered the situation they were in. She glanced down through the thin grating that was over a staircase through which they could hear voices.

Sabé pressed a finger to her lips, indicating for Talik to remain silent as they listened intently.

"How will you explain this invasion to the Senate?" an older male voice asked, his voice bitter.

_That must be the Governor Bibble_, Talik thought to her master who inclined her head slightly in agreement.

"The queen and I will sign a treaty that will legitimize our occupation here. I have assurances that it will be ratified by the Senate."

Talik cast a frown to her master. _Who's that?_

_It must be Nute Gunray,_ she sent back to her, _the Viceroy of the Trade Federation._

_Is he strong?_

_He has strong allies, but he is a coward_, Sabé said in an almost blunt manner.

"I will not cooperate."

The voice should have belonged to her younger sister, but Sabé knew instantly that it couldn't be her. The accent that Padmé used as Queen was one that she had modeled slightly after Sabé's when she had been forced in front of HoloCameras. It made her sound much more serious and older than she usually sounded, something that Padmé had used very well.

However, this young woman was not Padmé Amidala (or Naberrie, depending on how you looked at it). Ah, a decoy queen, that explained it. Sabé had heard stories that the queens of Naboo had handmaidens that acted as their doubles in times of crises.

The pair waited for the Neimoidians and the group of humans with their droid guards to disappear down the stairs before dropping out of the vent to land on the steps. Predictably, Talik stumbled, almost falling.

"Are we going after them?" Talik asked, turning to head in that direction.

"No."

"No?" she asked in surprise. "Why not?"

"Because we have to do what we said we would do," Sabé said with finality. "Leave the queen and the others to Master Jinn and Obi-Wan. We need to get to the main hanger."

"Yes, Master."

* * *

"We're the ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor," Qui-Gon explained.

"Your negotiations seem to have failed, Ambassador," Governor Bibble said with a bit of bite. "Not even the Jedi that came before you could reason with them."

"The negotiations never took place," Qui-Gon said calmly, ignoring how he believed that Sabé and her apprentice were dead. "It's urgent that we make contact with the Republic."

"Unfortunately," Captain Panaka said, stepping forward, "our communications have been knocked out. If you want to speak with the Republic, you will have to do it in person."

Qui-Gon's mouth thinned into a line. "Do you have transports?" They should, seeing as Sabé and Talik went through all the trouble of sneaking around to find the hanger bay.

"In the main hanger, this way."

That was about when they lost the advantage as the alarms began to sound and they rushed to the hanger with Captain Panaka leading them, in time to see three blades fizzing against the blasts from B1 Droid-made blasters, being green, blue, and purple respectively.

"About time!" Sabé yelled back to the group. "Obi-Wan, get your butt over here and help me!"

The auburn-haired Padawan lurched ahead, his violet blade –being actually Sabé's, seeing as she had his- bursting to life as he joined her.

Padmé started slightly under her hood as she watched the three Jedi dueling against the droids. Sabé…Sabé was alive! She was filled with so much relief by her presence that she almost forgot of the situation that they were in. And that boy…Obi-Wan, she thought he was the very same boy that had been with her sister the last time she had seen her, back when she was only six years old. She doubted that two Jedi could have the same name and the same hair color, which was far from likely.

"My god!" Governor Bibble said, startled. "They're still alive! How can that be?"

"Sabé Amidala is a very talented Jedi," Qui-Gon explained patiently.

"Your Highness," the older Jedi had begun to speak once more, drawing Padmé's attention from her sister once more, "under the circumstances I suggest that you come to Coruscant with us."

"Thank you, Ambassador," her faithful decoy, Yané replied with the same certainty that Padmé always used in her regal accent, "but my place is with my people."

"They will kill you if you stay," Qui-Gon said, his voice holding the same certainty that she had.

"They wouldn't dare!" Governor Bibble said aghast, and Padmé allowed her gaze to fall on Sabé's form. She could see what the Jedi had meant by her being talented. Never in all her life could she imagine moving like Sabé did. It was a similar grace to that of a dancer's, having a nearly identical fluidity, but clearly it was a style entirely of her own. Her friend and her apprentice had very different styles compared to it.

Padmé took a sharp intake of breath as a few blaster bolt burned across her arm where she used it to shield her apprentice. The attacks rendered one of her arms useless, but she had two blades and it hardly slowed her down as she sliced the head off the very last droid.

"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion legal. They can't afford to kill her," Captain Panaka said.

Padmé met Yané's eyes and saw the annoyance and irritation reflected there at how they were talking about her right in front of her.

Qui-Gon seemed to be the only one specifically speaking to Yané (being the queen, and all), much to both Padmé and Yané's relief. "There is something else behind all this, Your Highness. There is no logic in the Federation's move here. My feelings tell me they will destroy you."

Governor Bibble sighed softly as he turned to the queen as well. "Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us ... Senator Palpatine will need your help."

It seemed that they had already chosen what she had to do. Yané felt more irritation, in the defense of the queen.

"Either choice presents great danger," she said diplomatically, glancing to Padmé once more, "to us all."

Padmé bowed her head, but only barely, speaking in a soft voice, "We are brave, Your Highness."

"If you are to leave, Your Highness," Qui-Gon continued, not wanting to interrupt the monarch, but having to all the same, "it must be now."

"Then, I will plead our case to the Senate," Yané decided for Padmé.

"Master!"

Obi-Wan caught the Nabooan female before she hit the ground, her lightsabers dropping to the ground with an ominous thunk.

"Get on board!" Qui-Gon called to the group as they rushed forward with him holding his green blade aloft, ready for any impending attacks. Obi-Wan hoisted his friend up into his arms, following after them with Talik hot on his heels, holding three lightsaber hilts in her hands.

The medical bay wasn't too hard to find, and luckily, there was always a medical droid ready on the main transports of the Queen.

"Talik, go assist my master," he ordered the younger Padawan, whose face was now closer to mauve than the orchid color that her skin usually was, "I've got Sabé. _Go_!"

Talik nodded jerkily, dumping the lightsabers that belonged to her master in an empty bucket before launching out of the room as though she was on fire.

Obi-Wan tightened the straps around his unconscious friend so that she wouldn't go sliding off once they made the jump to hyperspace. A mournful beep interrupted him and Obi-Wan looked up to see Sabé's faithful R3 unit. She must have sent him ahead of her…

The astromech was holding out a small container on a two-pronged appendage that could possibly be considered an arm. Obi-Wan took it from him and opened it with a wry smile. Bacta patches. It was times like these that he saw just why Sabé liked the astromech so much.

He pasted a few on her only flesh-covered arm, over the burns from the blaster, before tying a bandage the length of her arm. She made a small noise in her slumber, her eyebrows furrowing slightly when he tightened the bandage over her arm.

"Sorry," he muttered as he lifted the hem of her shirt to see the damage of her stomach once more. The wounds had barely healed, but that was to be expected, after all, she had been moving around since the bandages had been wrapped around her. He privately thought that she was lucky that she hadn't done any more damage to herself since then, well, other than her injuries to her arm.

This time she cried out when he placed a larger patch on the wound. Her eyes fluttered slightly as her body stiffened before going limp once more. He brushed his fingers over her temple and down to her cheek, focusing intently and sighing once he felt the familiar thrum of her Force-signature.

A sudden jerk threw him almost on top of her, which would have been more embarrassing for him than for her, seeing as she was unconscious, but he caught himself at the last possible second.

"Keep an eye on her," he told the astromech who beeped an affirmative, rolling forward so that he was resting close to her side as Obi-Wan raced through the ship to meet his master and Talik in the cockpit.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"The shield-generator's been hit!"

And the droids sent out to fix it weren't doing so well. He had half the mind to suggest.

"Don't even think about it," Talik warned from his side. "Arthree only obeys Master, he won't go out there unless she tells him to, and she isn't really in a state to do so."

Well, she wasn't wrong there. But luckily, it wasn't much of an issue to argue, because the last remaining droid managed to get the shield up and working enough that they flew past the Trade Federation's blockade without too many problems, but then they ran into one of their own.

"We don't have enough power to make it to Coruscant."

"Do we have enough power to make it to any planet that the Trade Federation doesn't have some influence over?" Talik bemoaned, pressing her hands into her face as Obi-Wan scanned through a star chart on one of the spare monitors.

"Actually, we might," he said, drawing all the attention towards him. Obi-Wan disliked the attention, but at the same time, he was grateful that he had mastered himself well enough to not blush at the attention paid to him. Sabé always thought it was "adorable" when he blushed. He still wasn't quite sure how to respond to a comment like that. "Here, Master, Tatooine." His master leaned over his shoulder to look at the planet that was on the screen. "Its small, out of the way, poor…The Trade Federation has no presence there."

Captain Panaka couldn't help but ask in a dubious voice, "How can you be sure?"

It was Qui-Gon who answered him. "It's controlled by the Hutts."

Talik stiffened slightly. Everyone knew about the Hutts, they were a bit notorious. Sabé would never set foot on Tatooine if she could help it, mostly because it confused her. She had gone there once as a Padawan, undercover as a servant girl to the Hutts. Talik knew that the experience hadn't been very pleasant on her part. But she had said that she had sensed something strange on Tatooine, something that she didn't quite understand, even years later.

"You can't take Her Royal Highness there!" Captain Panaka disagreed. "The Hutts are gangsters! If they discovered her-"

"It would be no different than if we landed on a system controlled by the Federation," Qui-Gon interrupted, "except the Hutts aren't looking for her, which gives us an advantage."

Still, Talik couldn't help but feel uneasy. Master Sabé would not approve.

**AN: Thanks to you all for reading! PLEASE REVIEW! ;)**


	5. Stranded

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Five: Stranded**

**AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a little bit, I've been a bit obsessed with Looking Beyond and Daughter of Rome and A Girl Named Hope! Please enjoy! And don't forget to vote for your favorite fanfic on my profile!**

* * *

The number one most aggravating thing about Sabé Amidala, was that she wouldn't stay put. Obi-Wan had almost given himself a heart-attack when he went have a look at the hyperdrive, only to find his friend tinkering away underneath it.

"Sabé!" he said in dismay, crouching down so that he could see under the contraption. "Sabé, you're supposed to be resting!" He pulled her by the leg out from under the hyperdrive. Sabé had a smear of grease on her cheek.

Sabé scoffed lightly, rolling her eyes at the Stewjonan. "Come on, Obi-Wan," she wheedled, "you know I can't stand staying in hospital wards! They're so boring!"

"Your injuries-"

"All wounds heal," Sabé said patiently, "besides, we might be here for a while, come look at this."

Obi-Wan gave a forlorn sigh as she rolled under the hyperdrive again, but he followed her, lying shoulder to shoulder with her. Sabé pointed her vibro-screwdriver at an area that had been blackened, contrasting with the silver of the rest of the engine.

She tapped the tip of the screwdriver against the center of the blackened area. "See that? That's where it shorted out. The circuits are completely fried. It'll need to be replaced."

"None of it can be salvaged?" Obi-Wan asked, inspecting it closely.

"None of what I can see," Sabé admitted as he helped rolled out from under and helped he into a standing position. She couldn't help but stumble, her knees buckling slightly from the sudden shift of focus.

"Alright, Sabé?" Obi-Wan asked in concern, his arms winding securely around her like when they were kids, but this time it felt much different. His face was very close to her own and she could feel her cheeks heating up at the closeness.

"F-fine," she managed to say, extracting herself from him (what was really sad was that he hadn't even noticed how flustered she would get if they suddenly were too close to each other; Sabé was trying to minimize it, but it was a work in progress), and wincing when the movement jarred her arm. "Kriff," she muttered.

"Your arm!" Obi-Wan pulled the injured appendage towards him, his touch making her skin warm.

"Obi-Wan, its fine," Sabé said with a dismissive air. "Trust me, I was in worse shape with Talik on Ryloth."

He winced slightly, recalling the nature of her injuries from not two weeks prior. "True, but-"

"What did I tell you about worrying?" she chided. "Who's the older one here?"

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak, as he was her elder by a year at least, but thought better of it. It wasn't really a good idea to argue with Sabé when she was injured; the last time he had tried, he had gotten a bash of a lightsaber hilt to his right temple. It hadn't been pleasant, and Sabé had had to have a serious talk with Grandmaster Yoda about using aggression.

"You're projecting," she added dryly.

Obi-Wan's cheeks flushed a deep, dark red. Embarrassment flooded.

"You're still doing it," Sabé sang, tossing him an open grin as she made her way slowly out of the room and into the medical ward at the precise second that her comlink buzzed. "Amidala."

"Master."

"Any luck?" Sabé asked her padawan.

"They have only one hyperdrive, Master, its Nubian class, but they don't take Republic credits," Talik explained in a hushed voice.

"Well, they wouldn't," Sabé said, rolling her eyes slightly. "Tatooine is one the outer rim and not under the control of the Republic; they have their own monetary system."

"I'll report back when we have something," Talik said mournfully before switching off the comlink and tucking it into her belt.

Today was a really interesting day for Anakin Skywalker. Padmé was beautiful, but he couldn't help but be embarrassed that he'd asked if she was an angel, but he couldn't stop himself. She looked so much like that other girl, the one with the comforting smile and dozens of brown braids swinging around her face.

He had been dreaming about her for as long as he could remember, but she had never spoken to his in his dreams. She only took his hand and led him away from the nightmares. His mother had always thought that he just didn't have them, until he'd mentioned her.

Padmé and the other girl were probably the most interesting creatures to date; hardly anyone wanted to talk to a servant boy.

The other girl wasn't human, she was a twi'lek. Twi'leks weren't so rare in Mos Espa, and he knew Jabba the Hutt had a few of them employed as dancers, but he was sure that he'd never seen a twi'lek like her. First of all, she was purple, a really light purple, and one of her lekku had a strap of leather bound to it, on which a string a beads hung. But the strange thing was that she was dressed very modestly, not at all like the Twi'leks that Anakin had seen. When she moved, Anakin could see her laser sword clipped to her waist. Was she a Jedi?

Talik came to stand beside Padmé, irritation flickering in her light eyes.

"How is your master?" Padmé asked.

Talik huffed slightly, crossing her arms in annoyance. "I can tell that she'd much rather be out here than cooped up in the ship," she amended, "but she'll never admit it."

"Too proud?" Padmé guessed, but she received a steely stare that told her she had said something wrong.

"J-" Talik caught herself, glancing to Anakin who eyed her curiously. "We are not proud. Master just doesn't like to complain about such things, she believes in embracing ones pain, and learning from it."

Talik still hadn't quite learned that lesson, and she didn't think she would any time soon, but Master said that that was alright; she hadn't mastered her own pain until she was sixteen or seventeen, when she had to let go of all the emotions that warred inside her after her attack.

She turned her head, her lekku swinging behind her as she did so to smile at the young mechanic. "Hi, I'm Talik Shala."

Anakin grinned brightly, waving his vibro-screwdriver happily. "'Lo, I'm Anakin Skywalker. Are you stranded?"

Talik gave him a tight smile that she had replicated from her master, quite perfectly, she had to admit. "Right now, yes."

"Where you from?" he asked her, fiddling with the small item in his hands.

"Ryloth, and Padmé here and Master Sabé are from Naboo," Talik explained, but one name caught his attention.

"You know someone named Sabé?" he asked in complete surprise. "I thought I'd made her up!"

This time it was he that earned the incredulous stare. "What are you talking about?" Talik demanded defensively. "Of course Master Sabé Amidala is real!"

"Anakin," Padmé said in a far more patient voice than Talik, "why didn't you think Sabé was real? How do you even know who she is?"

Anakin shrugged, a faint blush rising in his cheeks, though he was sure the engine grease his it well. "I used to get these really bad nightmares when I was younger," he said, speaking quietly in the hope that Talik wouldn't be set off a second time, "and there was always this girl who would show up and lead me back."

"And her name was Sabé?" Talik asked dubiously.

"Pretty sure," Anakin said, screwing his face up as he tried to remember. Talik shut her eyes and opened her connection to the Force further than she had ever done before. She wasn't that great at sensing the Force that surrounded all things (as shameful as it was, she sometimes couldn't even sense her master when she was standing right next to her), but she could sense that this boy was…something. She reeled back slightly, making Padmé touch her arm in concern.

"Talik?" Talik could hear her name, but at the moment, she was far too focused to care. Anakin was _bright_. The Force was so tightly woven around him it was almost a shield. His presence was much stronger than anything she had ever felt from Master.

"You are strong in the Force," she said in surprise, her eyes fluttering open as she did so.

"The Force?" Anakin asked in confusion as Padmé stared at Talik.

"That's very strange," Talik muttered to herself. "If you were so strong in the Force, then your presence should have been picked up by the Holocrons…" A frown marred her lavender face, and she absentmindedly tapped her fingers in a rhythm against the hilt of her saber. The intense look of concentration reminded Padmé of her sister before the crash, when she had been telling her about all that the Trade Federation had done.

"Unless…" Talik muttered to herself, too low to be discerned by either humanoid. If Anakin Skywalker and Sabé Amidala were two of the most powerful Force-users to be recorded, and Sabé was known to be the prophesied Guide, then it could be assumed that Anakin was the prophesied Chosen One.

This mission had just gotten a little bit interesting.

Sabé's dream was dark, very dark. Shadows danced and blast residue covered the entirety of the Jedi Temple. She could feel all of the bad emotions filling inside of her like her calm resolve had sprung a leak. She felt the rage, the sorrow, the fear, the loneliness, and it threatened to consume her, body and soul. The corpses littered the floor, of master, padawan, and youngling.

Sabé could feel the bile rising in her throat. What dark corner of her mind could conjure this? She felt ashamed, but by the time she reached the Council Meeting room, that feeling had abated slightly.

Because of who –or should she say what? - she saw within the chamber, standing amidst the bodies, hooded and cloaked with their face hidden from view.

Sabé had her lightsabers in her hands in seconds, activating them as she slipped into a defensive crouch. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"I," the voice spoke from within the folds, dark and filled with hatred, "am Darth Carina, but my name matters little." She shrugged the hood from her brow and Sabé's eyes widened at the face beneath. "Because," she continued, "you will be dead before you can even speak it." Her double red lightsabers flared to life and Sabé didn't have enough time to move before she struck her through, making her awaken in a sweat.

She gulped greedily at the air as if she had been starved of it, her heart beating frantically in her chest, faster than it had perhaps ever beaten in her life (including that run-in she had had with that Zabrak when she was sixteen). She sat up suddenly in her bed, grunting in pain at how the movement jarred her stomach. Sabé had to take a moment to get used to the pain before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and dropping gingerly to the ground. Luckily, this time around, doing so did not make her legs collapse under her, only buckle slightly, which was a big step up in her opinion.

The flashing lights and whirring noises told her that Arthree had activated his movement sensors. She tried not to roll her eyes, but really, the astromech made it too easy…

"I'm fine, Arthree," she said calmly, moving sluggishly towards the door, pressing on the button that slid it up and open.

Arthree beeped a question.

"I'll be quite fine on my own," Sabé said, "there aren't many places I can go; don't worry so much, you'll ruin your wiring."

Arthree gave her an indignant beep and tottered so that his back was facing her as the door slid shut with her on the opposite side.

The artificial lights on the space craft were darkened so as to give off the illusion of night. To Sabé, it seemed dead depressing; it was one of the reasons she really hated traveling in spacecrafts. She preferred to see the night as it was, and it was the reason why the balcony of her apartment was probably the most likely place one could find her, if they wished.

She traced a hand along the wall, using it as both a guide of sorts and a way to support herself (curse her weakness!) as she blinked her eyes harshly, trying to get them used to the level of darkness the ship had provided her with.

The silence didn't calm her as it usually did, much to her disappointment, but she chalked that up to a combination of her dream and her injuries. She could hear her palpitating heartbeat as if it was a drum beating constantly in her ears, and it was making her dizzy.

The droid hold was empty except for the single R2 unit that remained. It beeped a cheerful greeting to her, making her smile. Arthree's 'voice' was a fraction lower than Artoo-Detoo's.

"Hello," she said, sweeping her cloak around her as she bent down to sit beside him, taking in the bit of debris and smudges of oil that covered his plating, having not been removed before. "I'm Sabé Amidala…you're…" She ran a finger along his name, "Artoo-Detoo?"

He beeped in agreement as she inspected the damage to his 'body' closely.

"Looks like you could use a good scrubbing," she said, glancing at him. Most astromechs weren't anything like Arthree, or even how Artoo seemed to be, they lacked the humanistic traits and had more robotic responses than human. This was rather common, but Sabé found that she liked it better when she could relate more to them.

She ripped a bit off of her already torn cloak and used it to soak up the blotches of oil. Regrettably, it didn't do much but cause light grey smears across the plating, but it was better than the black.

"You've got an awful lot of debris jammed up in here," she noticed, pulling her vibro-screwdriver from her utility belt and attempting to pry a bit loose, but it was difficult work. Sabé was sure it would work better if she had a larger screwdriver, but she was both too lazy to move and she wouldn't know where to find one, so she had to settle for using the miniature one she usually only used for small repairs and resolved to get one that was a bit larger in size as soon as they were back on Coruscant.

She sighed forlornly. She missed Coruscant, and it had only been a few days since they'd left. And she missed her apartment.

Though it was rare to accept such lavish gifts, Sabé had an apartment in 500 Republica. It was a well known fact that its occupants were a number of famous, wealthy, and important people to the Galactic Republic, and Sabé herself fit none of those, unless one was spreading word of her exploits.

Sabé had tried to refuse it when she first heard that her father had bought the apartment for her use, it had embarrassed her a bit and annoyed her at the same time (it was like he thought that she could be bought). However, it wasn't like she could give him back the apartment, he had no use for it, so she had reluctantly accepted it, though having a lot of the more extravagant items removed from it so that only the barest minimum of furniture remained, and making sure that everyone knew that it was open for their use. Some people considered it an extension of the Jedi Temple, if one was in need for a place away from the table to quiet their mind, or even a different perspective on a certain view.

Many did not believe she should accepted such a gift 'so easily' (she had tried to give it back, but many seemed to ignore that tiny bit), and many believed her views to be flawed, and the Ongree Jedi Master Pablo-Jill was one of her biggest critics. He believed in giving oneself entirely over to the Order, and while Sabé was faithful to the Code (for the most part), that didn't stop her from questioning it at every turn.

She sighed again, using Artoo's domed head to stand up, biding the astrodroid adieu and following the Force signature of Obi-Wan until she found herself climbing up into the cockpit.

"I need an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you." She could hear Qui-Gon's voice as she hovered back and away, listening intently but keeping far enough back that Obi-Wan wouldn't see or sense her.

"Wait a minute…" Obi-Wan said as his comlink beeped that the transfer of info had taken place, allowing him to plug it into one of the many screens on the ship.

"I need a midi-chlorian count."

Sabé peered curiously at the screen and goggled slightly. Her midi-chlorian count was nothing compared to that!

"This can't be right," Obi-Wan said, a bit stunned, "the reading's off the charts, it's over twenty thousand! Even Sabé doesn't have a count that high!"

"No Jedi has," Qui-Gon's voice uttered from the opposite end of the comlink, confusing Obi-Wan and making Sabé frown slightly.

"But what does that mean?" Obi-Wan pressed of his master, but Qui-Gon could offer the young man no answer.

"I'm not sure."

Obi-Wan turned off his comlink a fraction of a second after his master, swiveling his seat around and jumping violently at the sight of Sabé within the shadows. "Sabé! Don't do that!"

A smile graced her lips as she moved forward, leaning around him to bring up the last image that the screen had displayed by pressing a number of the buttons. Obi-Wan was surprised by the intensity that her eyes held as she looked over the count.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her. "Are you upset that your record got beaten?"

She couldn't help but give him a light laugh. "Do you really think I'm that shallow, Obi-Wan?"

A pink flush rose in his cheeks.

"I feel like I've missed a lot, how long was I asleep?" she asked as she switched the monitor off and leaned against the wall.

"Just about a day," he assured her, "how are your wounds?"

Sabé dropped a hand to her stomach, despite the throbbing ache, it was much better than the day before and her arm was practically back to normal. "Better," she admitted, "I should be completely healed by tomorrow if I do a bit of Force healing tonight."

"Let me."

"Hm?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him in slight confusion. "Let you what?"

"Let me work on your stomach wound," Obi-Wan said calmly, "I haven't been of use much, please."

Sabé watched him for a second. She was uncomfortable about having Obi-Wan so close to her bare skin, but she didn't show that; she was a Jedi first and foremost. "Alright," she acquiesced, "as long as you tell me what I missed."

She didn't wait for his answer, turning on her heel to move slowly towards the medical ward. That was another problem of Sabé's, Obi-Wan thought to himself as he followed her, she wasn't one for really asking any help.

And he knew it was going to cause trouble, he just knew it.

* * *

Qui-Gon Jinn rarely heard of such Force-sensitive children such as Sabé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker. Children with that many midi-chlorians were unheard of. He wasn't surprised to discover that Anakin had been conceived by the midi-chlorians themselves, just as the Prophecy of the Chosen One had claimed. It reminded him a great deal of Sabé's (for it was assumed to be a prophecy about her despite the number of disbelievers) Prophecy of the Great Guide, which spoke of a girl born under the waning crescent moon, a girl who walked the fine line of Light and Dark. Sabé, he knew, shouldn't have been born. Master Plo Koon had said that her parents called her a miracle, saying that her mother shouldn't have been able to carry her to term, but she did, as she did with her other two children.

Sabé Amidala was an oddity of the Jedi Order all by herself, and he couldn't help but be glad that she already had a padawan. If Anakin was indeed chosen to become a Jedi, it wouldn't be such a good idea to have two powerhouses so close to each other; the damage they could cause would be…impressive.

But he was forgetting that Sabé wasn't a very explosive person. She could be an excellent teacher, as she was to young Talik, and even to her friends.

"Brooding isn't very Jedi."

Qui-Gon looked up to Talik Shala who was standing before him, her arms closed and a blanket in her arms which she held out to the older man. "From Shmi," she explained before sitting down beside him. "Did you tell her about Sabé?" she asked him.

Shmi had been a bit surprised to discover that her son's nightmare guide was in fact a real person, though Qui-Gon very much doubted that Sabé had any knowledge of the dreams that Anakin Skywalker had.

"Yes," he said, "I don't think she quite understood what I was talking about."

Talik rolled her eyes at him as if to say: "No one ever understands what you say, Master Jinn."

"Do you think this is a good idea?" she asked him instead. "So much is riding on that pod race tomorrow…what if Anakin loses?"

"Do you think he will?" Qui-Gon asked.

"I think that you have too much trust in him and we've only just met him," Talik said in a mutinous mutter, "and Master would agree with me."

"But your master is not here," Qui-Gon felt the need to remind her.

Talik scowled at him, sensing his thoughts of her master. "I can think on my own, thanks," she snapped, "just because I have a habit of repeating Master's words doesn't mean I am her. Just because you don't approve of her views doesn't mean that she's a bad person."

And with that, she stood up and stormed back into the little hovel that belonged to the Skywalkers.

Her anger would have worried him, if it hadn't been justified.

Still, he would have to speak with Sabé about Talik's meditations.

**AN: And I give you Anakin Skywalker! Sorry I haven't done much with this chapter, but most of the action happens outside of the spaceship, and since Sabé is on the spaceship…well, you get what you get.**

**Next chapter the gang will be heading back to Coruscant, Qui-Gon has a small duel with the Zabrak that cut off Sabé's arm seven years ago, and Anakin meets the girl of his dreams (no, not like that, this is Sobiwan, remember?). I'm not quite sure when I'll update next, but, on the plus side, I am on spring break, so I have more time on my hands than usual.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :D**


	6. Fated Meeting

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Fated Meeting**

**AN: Only one review for the last chapter! Sad face! I better get at least two for this one, you numpties!**

* * *

Sabé was still fast asleep when her comlink buzzed, and the last thing she wanted to do was move and grab it. Still, she reached out a hand aimlessly, almost knocking it to the floor as she searched for it.

"Amidala," she said fuzzily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Master!" Talik's voice was positively bubbly, her words coming in a bit slurred in her excitement so that Sabé couldn't understand a word she was saying.

"Slow down, Tali," Sabé said in a patient voice, sitting up on the medical bed and feeling pleased that now her stomach was only stiff and sore, "I can't understand you when you're this excited."

"Anakin won the podrace!" Talik said, her voice still holding its previous excitement, "Master Jinn is having it brought to the ship!"

The sleep left Sabé as she swung over the side of the bed, making the cloak that had been thrown across her during the night fall to rest on her knees. She stared at it in a bit of confusion. Obviously it wasn't hers; it was too light for her tastes. Obi-Wan, the Force whispered.

Her fists clenched slightly in the fabric as a healthy bit of color rose in her cheeks.

"How soon?" she asked, directing her attention to the comlink once more.

"We'll be back within the hour!" Talik chirped.

"I'll let the pilot know."

She switched off her comlink, and clipped it to her belt once more, looping Obi-Wan's spare robes over her arm as she made her way out of the room, bumping into the young man in question she had been intending on looking for.

"Obi-Wan!" She managed not to blush in spite of the fact that she was holding his cloak in her arms. "Um, this is yours." She practically flung it at the older young man, but he took it in good grace, maybe because he was too busy to do anything different.

"Thank you," he said politely as she came walk beside him. "You look much better. Are you all healed?"

"A little sore, but much better from yesterday," Sabé agreed. "I am very much looking forward to sleeping in my bed."

Obi-Wan laughed outright at that comment. "Aren't we all?"

"Looking forward to sleeping in my bed?" Sabé said, her lips quirked. "No. Is there something you want to tell me about, my friend?"

The completely embarrassed expression on his face was so utterly comical that Sabé had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. She took a moment to watch her old friend splutter and flail in the water that he was now drowning in, before deciding to rescue the poor man. "Don't worry, I know what you mean."

Obi-Wan coughed slightly in an effort to hide his embarrassment, but he wasn't very successful.

"I never got around to asking you," Sabé said suddenly, dragging him rather suddenly from the uncomfortable moment, "how was Mandalore?"

She was of course referring to his extended mission with Qui-Gon on the planet Mandalore, protecting the young Duchess Satine Kryze. Obi-Wan had hardly mentioned it at all, which was rather unlike him; Padawans always exchanged what came to be known as 'war stories'.

"It was fine."

That caught her attention and she arched an eyebrow, her curiosity coming back in full. "Just fine? That doesn't sound much like you."

"Just leave it," he requested with a slight plead in his voice, "please?"

Sabé eyed him suspiciously for a moment but she conceded, because she could feel his shame about the whole matter, how his faithfulness to the Order wavered for the second time.

"Ah," she said lowly, "I see."

"Do you?" he asked in an almost mournful voice. This would mark the third time his heart had been stolen by a female, and the thought made him understandably miserable.

Sabé felt ashamed that she had not noticed the change in her friend earlier, for it was clear that the matter had been something that had been plaguing his mind for quite some time, and then embarrassed by her own affection towards the Jedi Padawan, but it hardly seemed like something that she could help herself doing.

"You were in close contact with the Duchess for close to a year," Sabé said slowly, choosing her words with care and hoping that she wouldn't upset him too greatly, "its understandable that…feelings developed between the two of you." But what really pained her was that he couldn't see her even though she was right there, beside him, like she had always been. She was nothing like Siri Tachi, that much she could be certain of, but she had to admit, they did have…certain similarities. Both were determined and capable, though Sabé's mindset allowed her to adapt to working with more than one person, while Siri preferred to work alone. Siri was more headstrong, while Sabé was more patient. There could be no two people who were so different yet so the same.

"Did that ever happen to you?" he asked her, noticing how lost in thought she had just become.

"I never really had the opportunity," she admitted, "none of the missions I went one involved protecting a male for an extended amount of time, and besides, it would never have been an issue if I had."

That piqued his curiosity. "Why's that?"

"I am a Jedi first and foremost," Sabé said in a diplomatic manner, "though I do listen to my heart, I do not think that I would fall in love with a simple man. They would have to have complexity and understand my devotion to the Order."

"What man would?" Obi-Wan asked her, his eyebrows melting together, conveying his confusion.

A Jedi would, Sabé thought to herself, but she did not voice the words, she would never voice those words, especially not to him. It would take a great deal to get her to profess her true feelings, and she did not anticipate that happening anytime soon.

"A great man," Sabé said with assurance, her eyes meeting his for a moment, and Obi-Wan caught sight of something much deeper flickering in her luminescent chestnut orbs, but a second later it was gone, "if he could see it."

Obi-Wan thought about opening his mouth to ask her something else, but he thought against it and they stood in silence waiting outside to greet Qui-Gon, Talik, Padmé, and Jar Jar as they rode up on eopies, which were creatures native only to Tatooine. Sabé remembered them from the time of her assignment to the planet; they were very good at pulling around heavy loads.

Talik practically flew to her master, throwing her arms around her and hugging her fiercely. Obi-Wan was more impressed by Sabé's ability to not fall over from the force of the hug, and then a little wistful, because the way the pair acted sometimes, you would think that they were mother and daughter.

"I see you have everything we need, Master Jinn," Sabé said, nodding to the bulky package that was being pulled by a rider-less eopie. "I'll have it installed right away."

She squeezed Obi-Wan's upper arm lightly before she lifted the new hyperdrive into the air with hardly a blink, disappearing into the ship with Talik following closely behind and Padmé watching the display in fascination.

"I'm going back…some unfinished business," Qui-Gon said, drawing his attention away from the new hyperdrive. "I won't be long."

Obi-Wan's eye twitched slightly. "Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic life form?"

"It's the boy who's responsible for getting those parts," Qui-Gon said, nodding in the direction that Sabé had left. "Get the hyperdrive generator installed."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan agreed, giving a small bob of the head. "It shouldn't take long."

He waited until he could no longer see Qui-Gon, and then he reentered the ship to assist his friend who it seemed was well underway with the replacing of the generator.

"I thought your sister's name was Padmé, though," Talik was saying as she eyed Padmé who sat watching silently, "she's not your sister."

"Kriff!" Sabé muttered as her hand slipped and banged against the machine. "Obi-Wan can you do me a favor and get this screw, I think it's stuck."

"No problem." Obi-Wan took her place as she shook out her hand.

"Talik, Padmé is a popular name on Naboo, just because she has the same name as my sister, doesn't mean that she is my sister," Sabé said carefully, for which Padmé seemed grateful, but Obi-Wan couldn't exactly tell why. He thought about reading her for a second, but the look on Sabé's face shut him down in an instant. Clearly there was something about the girl that she didn't want to talk about.

"Later, Obi-Wan," she warned, "focus on the present, where it is due."

The rebuke surprised him. She hardly ever pulled rank on him, and usually only when she was annoyed, making him wonder what he had done to annoy her in the first place.

* * *

Sabé almost fell over when the ship lifted off rather suddenly, but Talik bypassed her and tumbled gracelessly to the ground.

"What the-?"

"Cockpit!" Sabé barked. "Talik, strap yourself in!"

"Master!" Talik complained.

"Do as I say!" the Nabooan female ordered as she raced past her until she was in the cockpit. "What in the name of sanity is going on?!"

But no one had time to give her a response as the spacecraft hovered above the ground, near where the sand was being kicked up, not being able to hide the green and red blades as they flashed against one another.

Sabé founded her breath catching in her throat. She recognized those black Sith tattoos patterned across his red flesh with the upraised horns through his cranium. The mysterious Zabrak that had attacked her in her youth (not to say that she wasn't still young), the one that had cut her arm clean off.

_"Yours is the name of a child destined for darkness."_She remembered those words very clearly; it was almost as if they had spoken to her the day before. Though, she had to admit, those words had been plaguing her mind for years.

Qui-Gon leapt up and onto the landing, and the Zabrak's eyes met hers briefly, but long enough for her to feel a flare of pain across her arm where his lightsaber had cut across her flesh. Obi-Wan moved past her faster than she would have thought possible of the Stewjonan as the landing closed and the ship shot up and out of Tatooine.

"How long before we reach Coruscant?" she asked the captain, a kind man named Ric Olie who had been the pilot for the Queen of Naboo for a number of years now.

"It'll be a few hours yet," Ric said as she meandered herself until she was sitting in one of the empty seats, "you might want to get some rest before we land."

Sabé's lips twitched into a wry smile, but she didn't speak any words to him. Truth be told, she was far too much awake to get any rest. Besides, she had spent a good deal of this mission resting, much to her shame. "I'll be fine," she said.

"Suit yourself," Ric said agreeably with a shrug that she couldn't see and they both fell into a comfortable silence.

Sabé closed her eyes, falling into a deep meditative trance, though still keeping an awareness of her surroundings, not something one would typically do when meditating, but it was better to meditate than to do nothing, as her master had always said. When she finally opened her eyes, she was more than a little annoyed that only four hours had passed, leaving another five to go.

Feeling a need to stretch her legs, Sabé excused herself from the cockpit and made her way slowly down to one of the lower decks, one where private communications could be made. Sabé wasn't too surprised to see Arthree waiting there patiently for her.

"You're Sabé."

The Jedi Knight blinked her bright brown eyes to stare into the equally bright blue eyes of the child that must have been Anakin Skywalker. She could see what Talik had meant by his Force-presence being so bright.

"I am," she said, canting her head slightly in acknowledgment. "Did Talik tell you about me?"

To her surprise, he blushed a deep red to the roots of his blonde-brown hair. "Um…no-"

Arthree beeped a message to her, and she nodded.

"Connect us," she ordered to the astromech before placing a finger to her lips to Anakin as if to ask him to remain silent as she turned back to the monitor and pressed a few buttons until two blue holographic figures came to life.

"Masters," she said, giving a low bow to her superiors, "we are approaching Coruscant and will be on-planet within five hours."

"Very good, Knight Amidala," Mace Windu's voice wavered over their flimsy connection. "Your full report will be given upon your arrival."

"Of course, master," she said, inclining her head slightly before one hologram fizzled out, leaving her with just the image of Master Yoda.

"A great turbulence in the Force I felt," he said solemnly, "pleased I am that survived you did."

"Thank you, Master," she said calmly, though a smile crept onto her face. "I'll be seeing you soon."

And then the connection ended as quickly as it had begun, allowing Sabé's attention to return to the young boy from Tatooine.

"My apologies," she said smoothly, "that was rude of me."

Was it? Anakin blinked his wide eyes curiously at her as she gave him that motherly smile that he could remember so clearly. Anakin was far too used to crass attitudes to even register how some people might not take kindly to such tones. But clearly Sabé was a polite, serene creature; Talik wasn't much like her in that aspect. Anakin couldn't help but stare at her, even though he had seen her face a thousand times.

Her eyes were almost amber with a slight, delicate slant, her lips were curled into an ever-present smile, and her brown hair hung in plaited braids around her face. She was like an older version of Padmé. And then she moved and Anakin gasped as her mechanical arm caught the light.

"Sorry," he said quickly as she shifted her robe quickly to hide it, "I didn't mean to do that."

"Few do," Sabé hummed in agreement, an oddly calculating look in her eyes as she lowered herself to sit across from him on the floor. "Are you cold? Space travel is always the coldest the first time around."

"Padmé gave me this," Anakin said lifting the small blanket that rested over him, but before he had finished talking, Sabé had shook off her own cloak and thrown it over him.

"Wait!" he complained. "I can't take this! It's yours!"

"I'll live," Sabé said dryly, "worry not; death by cold is not something that will be my end."

She said those words with utter surety that Anakin couldn't help but wonder if she truly knew how she would die, and then she smiled brightly at him.

"I believe you were telling me about how you knew my name," she said in a voice that brooked no argument, and Anakin found himself stuttering out the guide that took him away from his nightmares. By the end of it, he was quite red in the face, but thankfully Sabé wasn't laughing. If anything, her face had grown more thoughtful.

The kind of dreams he had described were similar to her own, but in hers there was no one to save her from them, leaving her alone in her own darkness. She bit her lip slightly recalling that dark image of Darth Carina striking her down as if she was a simple padawan. She had had that nightmare many times, but only recently had she actually seen the Sith's face, and it had disturbed her.

Because she was more than certain that it had been her own face staring back.

"You are strong in the Force," she said, reminding herself internally to not get so sidetracked by her thoughts, "it does not surprise me that your dreams would reflect that."

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What's the Force?"

Sabé smiled, being in her element as a teacher to young ones. "The Force is an energy field that lives inside all living things. It binds us to the galaxy. Those who can utilize the Force to a higher degree are the Jedi."

"Like you," Anakin said.

"Like me," she agreed. "But the Force is not limited to just the Jedi, you understand, it exists inside the midi-chlorians of each and every living organism."

"And what are midi-chlorians?" Anakin asked, canting his head slightly to the side.

"Midi-chlorians are these tiny little life forms that live inside of us-"

"There are things living inside of me?" Anakin asked, dumbstruck.

Sabé forced herself to not laugh, as Anakin obviously didn't have much knowledge on the biology of the body. "Yes," she said instead, "the number of Midi-chlorians you have inside you is dependent on your strength in the Force."

"So the more you have, the stronger you are?" Anakin asked in interest.

"Perhaps from a certain viewpoint," Sabé conceded.

"Who has the most?" Anakin couldn't help but ask.

Sabé's lips twisted into a wry smile. "Up until a few days ago, I did."

The boy stared and her looking her up and down, but she couldn't fault him there. She didn't look like much more than a pretty face, her and Aayla both, but her use of the Force was unparalleled by anyone else her age, though she was nowhere near the skill level of her master or any of the masters on the Council.

"Get some rest, Ani," she said, using the nickname that he hadn't even told her, "its going to be a busy day."

Sabé had never been so relieved to see Coruscant than when she disembarked the ship five hours later with Talik on one side and Arthree on the other. All the traffic and the business made her heart swell, because this planet was home.

Senator Palpatine was speaking with her sister's decoy, but Sabé had never liked Palpatine much. On principle, Jedi didn't like politicians too much, but Sabé had one or two that she deemed good and fair.

"It is a great gift to see you alive, Your Majesty," Palpatine said with a respectful bow. "With the communications breakdown, we've become very concerned. I'm anxious to hear your report on the situation. May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum?"

Sabé had a liking for the Chancellor as well. She had served under her for a time with Master Windu when there had been a threat to his life. They both shared opinions on politics and on Sabé's controversial view of the Order during that time; Sabé deemed him friendly enough and not power-hungry, given his position.

The Chancellor gave a low and polite bow to the (acting) Queen of Naboo. "Welcome, Your Highness. It's an honor to finally meet you in person."

"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor," Yané said regally, her voice holding little feeling.

"I must relay to you how distressed everyone is over the current situation," Chancellor Valorum continued, "I've called for a special session of the Senate to hear your position."

"I am grateful for your concern, Chancellor," the Queen said graciously as she was led to a waiting air taxi by Palpatine with her handmaidens following closely. Jar Jar and Anakin were among those that followed her and Talik gave her master a significant look.

_Shouldn't Anakin have come with us?_ She asked.

_Briefing the Council could take longer than we think,_ Sabé thought back, _and there are several things I must speak with Master Yoda about in private._

Talik thought she might tell her, but she was left only with that cryptic remark, much to her irritation.

"Knight Amidala," Chancellor Valorum said with a smile as he clasped her hand with both of his and kissed both of her cheeks as she did the same. "I am relieved to see that you are well."

"I am relieved to be well, Chancellor," Sabé quipped back lightly, "and to be on-planet once more."

His face was one of understanding, but their pleasantries were cut short by Qui-Gon, the infinite sourpuss.

"I must speak with the Jedi Council immediately," he said to Valorum. "The situation has become more complicated."

Valorum nodded seriously. "I understand. They were called into a session the moment they discovered your landing. They are waiting for you."

The four Jedi bowed to him before taking a second air taxi, only this one would be taking them to the Jedi Temple as opposed to the temporary lodgings of the planet-bound politicians.

"How much rest did you get?" Sabé asked her padawan lightly. "You look as though you witnessed the end of the universe." Which was to say, she looked terrible.

Talik sighed. "I just don't sleep well in space, Master, it's nothing, I'm sure I'll catch up on my sleep while we're here."

"I'm sure you will," Sabé said in slight amusement. She was sure that Talik had a very serious relationship with her bed, since she seemed hardly able to drag her from it in the morning, especially to do early meditation, something she hated with every fiber of her being.

"And Master Jinn tells me you need to work on controlling your temper," Sabé added, making Talik groan loudly. Sabé could feel a flicker of amusement coming from Obi-Wan where he sat in front of her, though his body gave no inclination of his humor.

"Don't worry," she continued, "Obi-Wan here was rather bad at anger management as well." She winked at the Twi'lek. "If I recall correctly, he was on his way to Agri-Corps when he finally managed to charm a master into taking him on."

"Wait a second, _charm_? How did I _charm _Qu-"

"Details, details," Sabé said evasively with a vague wave of her hand, making Talik giggle. "My point is, everyone has difficulty with controlling their anger, but it is still something that needs to be done for you to become a true Jedi." She smiled kindly. "Who knows, maybe one day you'll become far greater than me, if you can manage to let go of that anger you hold."

The one thing that Qui-Gon could marvel about the sister of the queen, was her ability to inspire and to teach. Perhaps Yoda was right about her abilities being best suited for both battle and teaching. It was a strange combination, and though she was very good at physical and mental defense and offense, he had always wondered if she would be one of those Jedi who chose to not pass on their teaching to the next generation.

He was glad that she had proven him wrong in that aspect, if nothing else.

**AN: Fuel you addiction, you lot, and review! Reviews are love and I need lots of love!**


	7. Light or Dark

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Seven: Light or Dark**

**AN: So sorry it's taken me so long, but I have an AP Exam in two days and a seven page paper to write for next week, so it might be a while before I can update anymore of my fanfics, but you all have my apologies! Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The last of the evening light was fading before Sabé, Talik, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan found themselves standing before the Jedi Council. Talik had to refrain from yawning; that wouldn't go too well with the council. Her master looked a good bit worse, she had to admit, but Sabé still had to make up for the blood loss that she'd suffered, and thus came off a bit anemic, and it didn't help that had already been rather fair to begin with.

"After the Queen informed us of the situation," Sabé was saying, "we left immediately to hear of the Trade Federation's opinion on the matter, unfortunately, they saw fit to shoot us out of the sky not soon after liftoff." She glanced to Talik. "My padawan pulled me from the wreckage, my injuries," she grimaced slightly, "were substantial enough to put me out of commission for a few hours."

Sabé set her face firmly again. "A few hours after the crash, we met up with Master Jinn and his padawan before agreeing to rendezvous at the palace hanger bay, and the rest you should already know."

Ki-Adi Mundi inclined his head slightly, and a number of the masters shared a look that Sabé couldn't read.

"Please excuse my apprentice and I," she said, bowing lowly and respectfully. "It has been a long few days and my apprentice and I are in need of some rest." And without waiting to be dismissed, Sabé steered Talik from the room, allowing the door to close behind them.

"There is something that she is not telling us," Ki-Adi Mundi said mere seconds after her departure.

"Sabé Amidala is always hiding something," Pablo-Jill said in disdain, "it is not a trait becoming of a Jedi." Obi-Wan ground his teeth together behind his lips, schooling his features and locking down his mental shields. He had seen how Master Jill's eyes had flashed to him, but he would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had angered him with his insults towards his friend.

Yoda maintained his silence, knowing that he would be going to have a long chat with the young woman who had once trained under him.

"I believe that it concerned the next matter we must speak of," Qui-Gon said, bowing stiffly. "During our departure from Tatooine, I was intercepted by a Zabrak male. He was trained in the Jedi arts. My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith Lord."

The was not something any of the council would have wanted to admit in the first place, and Ki-Adi Mundi was the first member to speak what they were all thinking.

"Impossible!" He said. "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium."

Even Mace Windu had to add, "I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing."

But that comment was this time refuted by Grandmaster Yoda himself. "Ah, hard to see, the dark side is."

Mace glanced to the green master before saying, "We will use all our resources here to unravel this mystery and discover the identity of your attacker... May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan bowed respectfully before turning to leave, only to stop when Yoda spoke, drawing his attention to Qui-Gon

"Master Qui-Gon more to say have you?"

Qui-Gon ruffled the sleeves of his cloak as he crossed his arms, hiding them from view. "With your permission, my Master," he said calmly, "I have encountered a vergence in the Force."

"A vergence, you say?" Yoda said

"Located around a person?" Master Windu asked. That news was startling. Only one person had ever been reported to have had a vergence located around them, and she had just left. She was also what Master Plo Koon had described as a Miracle Child, meaning that she shouldn't have been born, but she was. Could the same be said for this child as well?

Qui-Gon nodded in agreement with his question. "A boy... his cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have ever seen in a life form. It is possible he was conceived by the midi-chlorians."

A number of the members of the Council shared glances, hardly daring to believe that what Qui-Gon was saying could be possible. They already had one miracle in their midst, was it wise to add another?

"You're referring to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force... you believe it's this boy?" Mace asked with curiosity.

Qui-Gon didn't want to put all his faith in the boy, but the signs were all there. "I don't presume," he began but was rudely interrupted by Master Yoda.

"But you do!" the Jedi Master disagreed. "Revealed your opinion is."

"I request the boy be tested, Master," Qui-Gon said courteously.

"Trained as a Jedi, you request for him?" Yoda asked.

Qui-Gon nodded. "Finding him was the will of the Force... I have no doubt of that," he agreed.

Obi-Wan watched with interest as the Jedi on the Council shared looks with each other, each of the twelve meeting the eyes of the others, and as one they nodded their consent.

And then Mace Windu said, "Bring him before us. We will reconvene tomorrow morning for the testing of the boy."

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon bowed to the Council before leaving as quietly as they had entered. Obi-Wan wasn't sure how he felt about the boy. He hadn't spent much time with him, but he didn't think that Qui-Gon should be so quick to believe that he was the Chosen One.

"You're projecting," a familiar voice commented.

Obi-Wan turned to see the recently knighted Kit Fisto. The green Nautolan had fallen into step beside him. "Obi-Wan," he added in greeting.

"Kit," Obi-Wan said in a little relief that it hadn't been his master that had caught him, but as he glanced ahead, he noted that his master was so wrapped in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed how far behind Obi-Wan had fallen. "Where's Aayla?" He had hardly ever seen Sabé, Aayla, or Kit without at least one of the other two, unless they were on missions.

"Aayla's helping with a 'saber class, and I was just thinking about visiting Sabé…but she's asleep so it would probably be best if I didn't," he admitted.

"She's had a rough few days," Obi-Wan said, sounding a bit tired himself. "She had some serious injuries from being shot out of the sky, but they must be almost healed by now."

Kit nodded and for a long moment, he didn't speak. "I sense that she isn't in pain," he said finally, sighing in relief, "that is good. She isn't very good about caring about the damages to her own body."

Obi-Wan could attest to that. "You should have seen her on the Naboo ship," he said wryly.

"Was she insufferable?" Kit asked with a grin. "Did you have to tie her to a medical bed?"

"I tried," Obi-Wan admitted, "it didn't work for long."

He laughed out loud. "Yes, that I would expect. I will bring Aayla with me to see her tomorrow when she is more aware of the world."

"That would probably be better," Obi-Wan agreed.

"How was Mandalore?"

Obi-Wan shoulders filled with miniscule tension, but Kit merely smiled.

"If you do not want others to know the nature of your heart, perhaps you should shield it as harshly as Sabé does," he said.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked him in confusion.

"Did Jill say anything about her in the meeting?" he asked instead.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, furrowing his eyebrows slightly, "it was something about her having too many secrets."

"Sabé doesn't have many secrets, that's where Jill got it wrong," Kit said, glancing out into the night. "She only has one, and it is one that she will sooner take to the grave than admit it to anyone."

"Why is that?" Obi-Wan asked.

But Kit knew where to draw the line with his words. "I suppose that is for her to know and you to discover."

Kit and Aayla had only happened upon Sabé's affection for the Stewjonan by complete accident, but they had yet to see how her love for him affect her ability to do her job, cementing Sabé's belief that one could love and be a Jedi at the same time. It was hard to believe that she felt more than romantic feelings for Obi-Wan Kenobi, because you wouldn't have been able to tell at all, and it helped that she treated everyone the same with that serenity that suited her better than any other attitude she could have ever adopted.

She was good at hiding her secret, and good at hiding in general. That was why she went on a lot of solo undercover missions (as Talik couldn't go on those kinds of delicate missions yet), her ability to lie was a bit startling, and many didn't view that as a good thing, but it wasn't like she liked lying.

* * *

"I heard from Obi-Wan you were injured," Kit commented lightly the next day over breakfast, which he and Aayla had gate-crashed without as much as an apology.

"You need to tell better lies," Sabé admonished as she poured some Muja into Talik's cup. "And you need to stop reading me when I'm asleep."

"Maybe he wouldn't have to if you came and told us how you were once in a while," Aayla reminded her.

"How is this my fault?" Sabé asked with an arched eyebrow. "I'm not the one in charge of mission assignments."

Talik watched the banter of the three friends as they went back and forth. They were like a strange little family, a bit dysfunctional, but a family nonetheless.

"Maybe I wouldn't have to," Kit added, speaking for himself, "if you weren't so suicidal all the time."

"I am not suicidal!" she hissed in annoyance. "Would you stop saying that?!"

Aayla rolled her eyes at Talik who giggled at the exchange. It was one of many that she had heard concerning her master's nature of protecting others before herself. Her friends considered it a dangerous trait, but Talik thought it was something she would like to grow to have, good or bad.

Sabé checked the clock and sighed. "I have to escort Anakin to the Council in five minutes."

Talik looked up in surprise. "Really? Are they going to let him into the Temple?"

Amusement flickered in Sabé's eyes. "Well," she said in a contemplative voice, "I would think they have to, seeing as the Council Chamber is located in the Temple."

Talik rolled her light eyes, twiddling her fork in her hand as she did so. "You know what I mean, Master," she said with a flicker of irritation that all three of the friends caught easily enough.

"I do not know," she said finally, "the Council will be the one to make the final decision, not I." She rubbed a circle suddenly into the side of her right temple at a flash of an emotion that was too jumbled for her to understand.

"Sabé?" Aayla's concerned voice caught her attention and she lifted her gaze to meet the blue-skinned Twi-lek's. "Are you alright?"

Sabé smiled in that way that she always did. "Its nothing," she said, but a niggling feeling in the back of her mind told her that it wasn't. She pushed that feeling aside; she did not have time for it. "Make sure Talik does her meditation, will you?"

"Master!" Talik's complaining voice was the last thing she heard as she threw on her dark cloak and exited the apartment, giving a small sigh of relief as the probing feeling that had sought her mental shields left as quickly as it had come, but it still left her with unease as she searched for her sister's temporary apartment in which Anakin had stayed the previous night.

She was almost surprised to see that Queen Amidala was actually her sister this time around.

"My sister," Padmé said in the solemn and serious voice that only one who knew the fate of her planet hung in the balance, "I see you have come for young Skywalker."

Sabé gave a low and respectful bow. "I have. I hope I am not intruding on any matter of importance."

But she could sense that she was, because Senator Palpatine was with her.

Padmé merely gave her a small smile as they clasped hands. It was starting to become routine now, and Sabé was certain that Padmé would have hugged her if not for the heavy headdress, bulky gown, and face paint. Sabé could feel all of the emotions raging within her sibling –fear, anger, anxiety (Padmé would have never made it as a Jedi, that much she was sure of) - and she sent a warm soothing serenity to her, and Padmé smiled.

"I realize this might be the last time we see each other for a good while," Padmé said, her words abrupt.

Sabé smiled kindly. "The Force works in mysterious ways, dear sister, I do not believe you have seen the last of me."

She felt her relief before it became locked down as Anakin reappeared, looking paler than usual.

"Ready to go?" Sabé asked with that serene smile of hers, making Padmé realize that it wasn't too hard to imagine her as a loving mother.

"Um, yeah, I mean, yes," Anakin stuttered quickly, but he took her hand when she offered it.

It was only when they were in the air taxi that Sabé spoke again. "Scared?"

"A-a little," Anakin admitted, tapping his feet nervously against the floor. "What if I don't do good?"

That was the question that Sabé was dreading answering, because, truthfully, she had no idea. She knew what the test entailed, every Initiate had had to take it once, but Sabé had to take it at least twelve times in her youth because the Council was trying to see if there was a limit to what she could sense. Sabé wasn't quite sure if they had really discovered a limitation; the Council was intensely private.

"I may seem all-seeing and all-knowing, Anakin," she joked, "but I don't know what will happen or what the Council will decide."

"Oh," he said quietly as they made their way into the Temple. "Do you remember what tests they do?"

"They'll probably just hold a screen and ask you what's on it, since you won't be able to see it," she said before stumbling and falling to her knees, the stinging to her head returning much more forcefully than before.

"Miss Sabé?" Anakin asked in concern, shaking her shoulder. "Miss Sabé, what's wrong?"

"Its nothing," she said through a grimace, "I'm fine." But she wasn't, she could feel it.

"Sabé?" She could feel more than hear Obi-Wan as he approached, his fingers holding up her head. "What happened?"

"My head," Sabé groaned, "I don't-" she hissed.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, turning to the concerned nine year old, "go on to the Council, I'll take care of Sabé."

"You sure?" he asked, but then his eyes met Obi-Wan's, and he wasn't sure what he saw in the man's hazel eyes, but it was…familiarity, like a sort of connection that is built up over a long period of time. It sounded exactly like what Talik had described when she first met Sabé. That Master-Padawan connection. "You're sure, okay."

He glanced back to the pair, noticing how gently Obi-Wan held Sabé's face as he questioned her softly. It was sweet in an amost-romancy sort of way. And then he gulped and did as he said.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked her as Anakin left. "Why did you just collapse?"

Sabé furrowed her forehead with her eyes still closed, the stinging pain fading now. "It's just a headache, I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Obi-Wan disagreed, pulling her upright and looping her arm over his shoulder. "Come on, you're going to see Bant."

"What?" asked Sabé, still a bit out of it.

"Yeah," Obi-Wan muttered, leading her toward the medical ward, "you're definitely seeing Bant."

So, not ten minutes later Sabé was lying on a medical bed in a forced Force trance as Bant Eerin placed her webbed hands on either side of her patient's head, closing her eyes in concentration.

"You said she just fell to the ground?" she asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yeah, she was clutching her head, she said it was just a headache, but-"

"Whatever it was, it was not a headache," Bant interrupted.

"Did you find something?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Sabé's always been very careful about her thoughts, I'm sure you can remember how she was when we were kids," Bant added the last bit.

"Yeah," Obi-Wan grinned slightly. "She was sweet." Sabé had been painfully shy until she had become friends with Aayla and Kit, Obi-Wan still remembered how red her face had turned when he had helped her pick up some data pads that he had dropped. But once she had come out of her shell she had adopted that serene personality that had become practically signature for her.

"She still is, just…more cautious," Bant amended, "She likes to keep things private."

"What does her private nature have to do with her head?"

"Sabé has been shielding her mind since…forever," Bant said with a shrug, "probably since she learned how to shield her mind, but that shield has some cracks in it now."

"Cracks?" Obi-Wan said in complete surprise. "How is that possible?"

"If I was to hazard a guess," Bant said, her eyes dark, "then I would say that someone was trying to break into her mind…and it doesn't look like they succeeded."

"Is she going to be alright, then?" Obi-Wan asked in concern, glancing to his slumbering friend. "It won't cause permanent damage will it?"

"No," Bant said with a relieved sigh, "at least, not this time. The cracks should fade as she continues to sleep. She'll be fine."

* * *

Sabé was running, running faster than would have ever done, her muscles burning with exertion and then the sting of the blaster bolts as they shot through her, sending her jolting awake.

Sabé's eyes flashed open and she shot upwards so that her torso was perpendicular to the bed. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she looked around wildly as if hoping to find the person who had shot her before mentally reminding herself that she actually hadn't been shot.

The lightness of her room made her blink. Her room had darker colors than white, that much she knew. And then she realized that she was in the medical ward as Obi-Wan's friend Bant Eerin approached her.

Naturally the first thing out of her mouth was: "Where are my clothes?" as her Jedi wear had been replaced by a medical gown once more, much to her eternal annoyance. She had a very strong aversion to the medical ward without them throwing in the gown to spite her.

Bant tried hard to not smirk, but Sabé made it too easy with her expression of discomfort. "In the bathroom. Do you need any help to get there?"

A scowl marred Sabé's face, but she closed her eyes and allowed the Force to wash over her and tell her of her injuries. "I'll manage." She paused briefly before giving the healer a polite thank you.

It was only when she returned fully garbed once more that she wagered she was in a bit of trouble, because Bant's presence had vanished only to be replaced with Master Yoda's.

She froze, not quite sure what to say to him, but, thankfully (or maybe not) he spoke first as she reluctantly sat down on the medical bed once more.

"Surprised to find you here, I am," he said.

Sabé gave an audible groan as she scrubbed her hands over her eyes.

The small and green Master chuckled lightly at her reaction. "Told I have been of your condition," he said, "worried your apprentice has been."

"That sounds like her," Sabé said under her breath before sighing. "Are you here about my attitude towards the Council? I apologize; I've just had a rough time sleeping the past few days."

"Understand I do," Yoda said, nodding his head slightly. "Here to speak with you about them, I am."

"You are?" Sabé said with a wince. "I-"

"Wish to speak of it not, but wish to hear I do," Yoda insisted.

Sabé gave another sigh at that. "Its nothing," she said, "they were just some nightmares, nothing to worry about."

"But worry you do," Yoda added, hobbling forward so the distance between former master and apprentice wasn't quite so pronounced. "Sense it I do."

"_I am Darth Carina, but my name matters little. Because you will be dead before you can even speak it."_

"Master," she said carefully, "do you ever think I could go dark?"

She could see that her question had startled him, but she did desire to know the answer.

"A strange question," he mused, "worried are you?"

"A bit," she admitted, "I had a horrible nightmare-"

"Worse than usual?"

"Well," Sabé faltered slightly, "I'm not sure yet, but it was pretty bad…I was here, in the Temple, I mean, but it was wrong, it was all wrong…" She remembered the cut down bodies that littered the Temple and she hid her face in her hands feeling the tears in her eyes. The first time she'd seen the image she'd been sickened, but now she was just sad about the whole thing, whether it was real or not, because the loss of innocent life just tore at her like nothing else. "There were bodies everywhere," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, and I found this woman with two red lightsabers, and she had my face…" She looked up, her desperate eyes making contact with Yoda's. "Is that just my mind playing tricks on me?"

Yoda stayed silent for a long moment.

"Think you are capable of cold-blooded murder do you?" Yoda finally inquired.

"No!" Sabé said, suddenly defensive, "I mean, I hope not."

Yoda gave her an aged smile. "Make us who we are, our choices do. Choose light over dark you will, if given the choice you are. Good, you are, evil you are not."

And this time Sabé believed him without a second thought, but the dream (nightmare, she reminded herself) still kept her ill at ease. Could it really be real? Could her future really be Darth Carina?

**AN: Something for you all to sit on! Sadly, that's the only bit of the (possible) future that Sabé will be seeing, but it is enough to freak her out. Next chapter Sabé will be doing something she does not approve of… until then, you all sit tight! AND REVIEW!**


	8. Stronger in Ways That Matter

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Eight: Stronger in Ways That Matter**

**AN: Sorry it's been awhile since I updated, but I've been busy with class and finishing Daughter of Rome (which was months ago now), and working on Looking Beyond and Sting of the Blade and Akai Senkou, and getting out my new fic Through Fire and Wind. And I kind temporarily lost my inspiration for this fanfic. I re-wrote the beginning of this chapter so many times before I settled with what it is now. So please enjoy!**

* * *

It wasn't often that Sabé had a difficult time sleeping, that was something that was a rarity for her, forgoing that when she was younger her dreams had been quite turbulent. Still, Sabé didn't often find herself unable to close her eyes. She rested the tips of her cool fingers against her forehead, feeling the thrum of the throbbing at her temple. It wasn't as bad as it had been before, for which Sabé was quite grateful; that had been excruciating and she would have never wished it upon anyone.

She palmed her forehead and sighed, almost running headlong into a wall for her troubles. She grumbled to herself, her annoyance no doubt a shining beacon with her shields in the state that they were. Sabé frowned. That wasn't to say that they were as flimsy as the shields that Initiates bore, only that she wasn't used to anything less than the extreme fortification that she employed.

She wandered the silent halls, ready to be accosted by a member of the Healers and dragged back to the medical ward in Force-cuffs, if there was such a thing. But no one came, for which she was beyond grateful. The tips of her metallic hand trailed over the carved rail of the staircase as she descended it.

As a child, the one thing that fascinated her the most was the interior of the Jedi Temple, and rightly so. She had often said to her master that it the numerous pillars and the statues just beyond the entrance reminded her of a palace or a temple of worship. Master Yoda hadn't wanted her to see the temple in that kind of view, though, it would make one entirely big headed.

"A place of learning, it is," he had insisted, "no more, no less."

And he wasn't wrong. The Archives were a wealth of information, and the training room was always open to those who wished to work harder on their lightsaber forms.

A smile lit her lips. She had lost count of how many days and nights she had spent working on her own form; there were too many to count.

There were only seven forms of lightsaber combat, but Sabé leaned mostly on Jar'Kai, the only form which was developed for the use of two blades. It was a kind of style that allowed the wielder to face multiple enemies at the same time, but it was also quite difficult to master, and Sabé had not quite achieved that to the date.

Soresu was a far more common style used throughout the temple, one that Aayla and Kit preferred to any other style. It dealt more with defense and so an ideal style for those who wished to prolong battle in order to fatigue their opponent.

But Obi-Wan used Ataru, a far more aggressive form which required the practitioner to be fast, agile, and strong. It wasn't too surprising, considering how many problems Obi-Wan had had with his anger in his youth. Sabé could remember those times quite clearly in her mind.

Aayla had been disappointed when Obi-Wan had chosen to study that style, citing that he was clearly made for the tight movements of Soresu. Sabé didn't see it, but then she wasn't used to looking for things like best saber style based on physique.

The hum of a lightsaber drew her from her thoughts and she looked down over the balcony, an amused tilt occurring upon her lips at the sight.

Obi-Wan seemed to have engaged in a battle against one of the machines that Jedi often used to teach younglings to dodge blaster bolts, only he had turned it up all the way and was having a few problems.

Sabé couldn't help the smirk that occurred at the sight of the burns his clothes were sporting.

"I'm pretty sure that's not the way you should be going for intense training," she called over to him, making him start and lose his concentration, a blaster bolt hitting him in the chest and knocking him down before Sabé had the time to shut it off with a wave of her hand, moving quickly to his side in concern before fading to be replaced with amusement once more.

"Don't be such a baby," she said with a light laugh, "I'm sure you've been through worse than blaster fire from a droid."

Obi-Wan groaned, furrowing his eyebrows together. "Way to hit me in the ego, Sabé."

"That's what I'm here for," Sabé promised, "don't worry, we're all so much better without your ego."

"Thanks," he drawled out, "you make me feel so confident in my abilities."

"Good…I'd offer to partner with you," Sabé said in amusement, "but I'd find myself far outmatched against you."

Obi-Wan spared her a laugh. "I'm not sure whether I should be flattered, but you surpass me in utilization of the Force."

Sabé smiled kindly as she sat down beside him. "We all have our weaknesses. Believe me, you far surpass I in saber battle; it is something I need to work on."

"You sound sure of that," Obi-Wan said with a grin, "care to try against me?"

Laughter bubbled from her lips before she could hide it. "Oh, I dare not," she said, "I don't think it would end well for me."

"Come on," Obi-Wan coaxed, "just one spar."

She looked into his bright hazel eyes, glinting in humor, but she only grinned. "I'll have to say no this time, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan frowned slightly, eyeing her curiously. "You're up to something," he decided.

Sabé couldn't help but laugh at that. "I thought I was always up to something…remember how many times I got you into trouble?"

"Because who would believe that Sabé Amidala was a secret troublemaker?" Obi-Wan asked in a despairing voice.

"It's not my fault that I have an innocent face," Sabé said in a mock-hurt voice that earned her a look from her friend that told her that he didn't believe her for a second. "You don't know how many times it's saved my butt."

"I'm not sure I even want to know," Obi-Wan said, shooting her a grin that earned him an eye roll. "You live a highly dangerous lifestyle, Sabé."

"Don't we all?" she mused, closing her eyes for a brief time. "I should get back," she said, "or the Healers won't release me tomorrow."

Her smile was more of a grimace as Obi-Wan laughed.

* * *

"I do not approve of this plan," Sabé said in a voice that was as chill as an iceberg. She was sitting in her sitting room directly across from Masters Yoda and Windu, her back straight and stiff and her stare resolute. "They will not believe it."

"The likeness is uncanny, you cannot deny it," Master Windu refuted.

"She is fourteen, I am twenty-four," Sabé said coolly. "I am a decade her senior and taller and more agile, just to name a few differences."

"Better to have a Jedi for a queen, it is," Yoda said sagely, "and a queen for a handmaiden."

"They will not be fooled," Sabé said with surety.

"Queen Amidala modeled her accent after your own," Windu commented, "And the differences would not be quite so noticeable if her handmaiden's wore heeled boots while you wore flats."

She bent her head forward slightly, expelling a long sigh. "Padmé will never agree to the switch. It will put me at greater risk, and she will not wish it."

"Insist I must, change her mind you must."

So, Sabé found herself with a private audience with her sister very late that evening. Padmé's makeup was gone, leaving her face bare and very similar. Grudgingly, she had to admit it was a sound plan, even if she didn't approve of it.

Padmé's face was tense as Sabé told her the plan.

"I don't like it," she said, just as Sabé had predicted. "It is dangerous to be my decoy."

Sabé resisted rolling her eyes. "It is dangerous to be a Jedi as well, is it not?" She quirked an eyebrow to her younger sister who heaved a sigh.

"Sabé…what do you think?"

"It doesn't matter what I think," Sabé said dryly, "it is the Council's decision, not mine."

"But what is your opinion," Padmé insisted, "please." Her eyes were imploring.

Sabé's eyes fell upon her own…a perfect reflection, she admitted grudgingly.

"You already have a decoy who bears a remarkable resemblance to you," Sabé said slowly, "however I doubt you will find two people who look more like each other than we do." She sighed. "It is a rather sound plan."

"And you would prefer it if they came to you instead of me," Padmé guessed. "Who would guess a Jedi for the queen?"

"Apparently not many people," Sabé said with annoyance that she couldn't bother to veil. "Talik will be joining Obi-Wan and Master Jinn. She will not be aware of the deception."

"You don't approve," Padmé noticed.

Sabé's lips drew downwards slightly, a frown marring her delicate features. "The Master-Apprentice bond we share was created out of mutual trust and the Force. I do not like lying to the one child I view more highly above anyone."

Padmé's eyes widened slightly. "I thought Jedi…" She cut herself off looking a little awkward.

Sabé smiled. "It's alright," she assured her. "It's not really the Jedi way." She leaned forward to cup Padmé's cheek. "I suppose it's an Amidala thing, hm?"

Padmé's smile was sweeter than hers as Sabé removed her hand. "It must be…do you remember those years ago, when you came to protect Father?"

Sabé's eyes grew distant for a brief moment. "Yes," she murmured, "you were adorable."

A dark pink flush lit Padmé's cheeks. "I was not," she disagreed hotly, before asking, "did you ever regret becoming a Jedi?"

"No," Sabé said with utter surety. "I couldn't imagine what I would be if I wasn't a Jedi…being a Jedi is all I've ever known."

"Even if it cost you your arm?" Padmé inquired, nodding towards her eldest sister's metallic limb.

"We all lose many things on the journey to discovering who we are," Sabé said simply.

Padmé gave her an amused smile. "I really have to wonder if anything really fazes you."

"Many things," Sabé laughed, "I just don't show it as much. That's why I am so good at…you know." Stealth missions were her forte; Sabé didn't really have a suspecting or suspicious face. "It annoys my friends, they always claimed trouble just skated by me." A smile lit her lips; or at least Sabé was better at pulling wool over others' eyes. She lifted a finger to tangle it in the ends of one of her braids that swung hypnotically around her when she moved.

Padmé's eyes shifted to the metallic limb for not the first time since she had seen it. She remembered the first time she had laid eyes on it and her when she was a child, a naïve child. She had wondered if the gods had given her a new arm for her services to them (as those on Naboo were polytheistic, and had many tales of how the gods favored the mortals that worshipped them).

Sabé had simply laughed, bending down so that she was level with the child and said simply: "It was a gift, one that I will cherish always."

Padmé hadn't questioned it until she was old enough to understand what a prosthetic arm was, and then she had been horrified.

"I will be by in the morning," Sabé said, pulling herself upright and giving her younger sister a small bow. "Sleep well, little sister."

But Padmé did not.

* * *

"I…look…ridiculous."

"Don't be foolish," Yané admonished as she settled a queenly headdress on Sabé's stiff hair which had been removed from her multitude of braids (a requirement for her acting as decoy that vexed her more than anything she was currently wearing, though that was quite aggravating as well). "You look perfect."

"So you say," Sabé said blandly, picking at one of the sleeves in disdain as she turned towards her sister with an expression that said she was clearly regretting taking on this assignment. "How on earth do you move around in these things?"

"With practice ease," Padmé said with a grin. "I'm sure you'd rather be back in that leather jerkin of yours."

"Yes, I would," Sabé said, an expression of longing morphing its way onto her face. "It least I didn't have to worry about upending anything when I was wearing that."

"And it is easier to see your figure in it, is it not?" Saché, the oldest of the handmaidens, asked in a voice that rang with amusement, sending off the other girls that were attending to Sabé in the stead of Padmé into titters of laughter.

"Easy to move and figure flattering sometimes go hand-in-hand," Sabé said, unconcerned and unaffected the words as she looked at her face in the mirror.

She didn't even recognize herself. The pure white face paint was thick, hiding all her flesh from view that even the slight differences –Sabé's slightly longer face due to being nearly a decade older, and slightly more slanted almond shaped eyes– were hardly noticeable and could easily be dismissed. A single crimson dot had been painted to either cheek, and her upper lip had been painted the same color with a vertical line through her lower lip. This was known as the Scar of Remembrance that was a symbol of the toils that Naboo that endured before the Great Time of Peace.

The dress and headdress weren't so bad considering some of the outfits that Sabé had seen her sister wear. Her hair was stiff under the deep purple cloth that hung in front of her shoulders, two large buns mounted high on her head under the material that was held in place by a golden headpiece with a dress of dark violet and purple fabric that rippled when she moved.

"You would make a great decoy, you know, if you weren't a Jedi," Yané, Padmé's decoy, had to concede.

"I will take that as a compliment," Sabé said, "but it wouldn't be the lifestyle choice for me, not enough excitement."

"There is excitement enough," Rabé disagreed, "but I suppose calming disputes on far off planets is more appealing."

Sabé barely resisted shrugging, an action that would undoubtedly have causing the golden headpiece to tumble off her head. "Better to have peace than war."

The girls all made noises of agreement on the matter.

"Alright, you're done…Your Majesty," the girl who had been straightening the last of her many articles of clothing, Eirtaé grinned at her before stepping back and shaking her orange hood over her eyes, a movement that the other girls replicated, Padmé being the last to do so.

"Jedi have an ability that allows them to communicate through a connection of minds," Sabé told Padmé. "I need you to guide me, so all you need to do is think the words, and I will hear them."

Padmé gave one single nod of understanding as Captain Panaka entered to escort them to an air taxi that would in turn take them to the landing platform that held the Naboo spacecraft.

The whole time on the taxi Sabé did not speak. She stared forward resolutely with an expression of conviction that was so clearly replicated from her sister. And when they landed, Sabé very nearly didn't take the hand Captain Panaka had offered her, before taking it at the last second; she was so used to not depending on others, but she was Queen Amidala, and queens were waited on.

And then she strode forward with the same confidence that Padmé emulated. She could see Anakin with Qui-Gon just outside the spacecraft as the group moved closer and Sabé felt a flicker of regret. The boy had a gift, there was no doubting that, however, the Council had deemed that he was too old to be trained. Personally, Sabé thought that was a bit of a waste. It was one of the many things that Sabé and the Council disagreed on; its rules were far too rigid and restraining, teaching should never have an age limit.

Qui-Gon bowed politely as she and her (Padmé's) handmaidens approached.

"Your Majesty," he said, "it is our pleasure to continue to protect and serve you." He raised a hand slightly from his side to direct her towards the ship.

"I welcome your help," Sabé said diplomatically, repeating the words Padmé was thinking. "Senator Palpatine fears the Federation means to destroy me."

Sabé felt so unbelievably bare without her lightsabers at her side, the only consolation being that they were hidden among the folds of Padmé's cloak.

"I assure you, I will not allow that to happen," Qui-Gon assured her, no doubt sensing Sabé's anxiety and mistaking it for fear for herself rather than fear of being unable to protect herself.

Sabé couldn't help the slight scowl that marred her lips as she climbed the ramp, the frown quickly smoothing over into a neutral expression before anyone could take notice of it.

She settled herself into the Queen's Chambers, waiting for the ship to take off, which it did at a surprisingly fast speed, but that suited her fine. The sooner they returned to Naboo, the better, and that was both Padmé and Sabé's thoughts.

She allowed herself a brief moment of silence as they flew away from Coruscant, but then her eyes flickered towards Captain Panaka as he spoke, just barely brushing over Talik who stood to the side of a slightly vexed Obi-Wan (Sabé guessed that it might have had something to do with Qui-Gon, as his master was standing at a distance from his padawan).

"As soon as we land the Federation will arrest you and force you to sign the treaty," Captain Panaka said, trying to reason with her one last time. Though the captain was often aware of when a decoy was in use, this time was not one of those occasions, for all intents and purposes, Sabé was Padmé Amidala.

"I agree," Qui-Gon said in that calm voice of his that Sabé knew from experience that many Jedi had, including her. "I'm not sure what you wish to accomplish by this."

Sabé added a small bit of heat to her words, as if to say "I wouldn't expect you to understand, you are not from Naboo," without speaking those words exactly. "I'm going to take back what is ours."

"There are too few of us, Your Highness," Captain Panaka said, his tone nearly exasperated as her eyes shifted towards him once more and away from Qui-Gon. "We have no army."

"And I can only protect you, I can't fight a war for you," Qui-Gon added and Sabé had to resist narrowing her eyes.

Jedi often spoke as a unit of sorts, master and padawan were one in a sense. "We are honored to serve you." "We are grateful of your cooperation." "We welcome your counsel." For a master to separate himself from his padawan was worrisome. A barest glance towards Obi-Wan told her just how insulted he was by the singular form. Sabé forced back a sigh, recalling a time when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were so close that you could tell they were having half a conversation in their heads.

She suspected Anakin might have been the cause of the rift. Kit had informed her that when the Council had refused to allow the boy to be trained as a Jedi Qui-Gon had offered to take him on as his apprentice. Since he already had an apprentice, it was a bit like a smack to the face, even if Obi-Wan had been ready for the Trials for nearly three months now.

"Jar Jar Binks," she said, her eyes shifting beyond Obi-Wan and over Talik, causing her very young padawan to eye the Gungan with a slightly incredulous expression, wondering what on earth she could possibly want with him.

Jar Jar pointed to himself, looking as stunned as Talik was, his eyes goggling slightly. "Mesa, Your Highness?" he asked in that higher pitched voice of his.

"Yes," Sabé said simply, "I need your help."

This plan was poorly conceived if you asked Sabé, but she couldn't really argue with Padmé, seeing as that was who she was playing, however, she felt that Padmé was putting too much faith in the Gungans.

Captain Panaka was right, Naboo had no army, but the Gungans of Otoh Gunga did, so Sabé could understand the appeal there. But convincing the Boss Nass was another matter, one Sabé was not sure she was capable of doing.

She was very convincing on her own, but here she was just playing a part, Sabé Amidala had no voice in the matter.

So she opened her mouth and recited the words just as Padmé thought them, and she was unsurprised by the vehemence from Captain Panaka and the surprise from the three Jedi.

"Enough!" she demanded, speaking over him, her eyes narrowing just slightly. "There will be no debate of the matter. I have made my choice."

But it was very clear to Sabé that several of the people in her (Padmé's) chambers were of the mind that it wasn't a very smart decision in the first place, but there was no point in arguing with a headstrong monarch such as Padmé, she was much too clever for her own good.

"Leave me," she added with a clear dismissal and several bows were made in her direction as the captain and the Jedi left her with the handmaidens.

"That was very convincing," Yané complimented her once they were certain that none could hear them speak.

"If you say so," Sabé said, rolling her shoulders, but not by much. The headdress was weighing down on her and all she wanted to do was rip it off and massage her temple, where she was sure there would be deep indentations from the gold. What she wouldn't give to be in her Jedi garb once more with just her dark hood resting over her forehead.

"You did perfectly," Padmé assured her, her brown eyes glinting under her own hood as she smiled at her elder sister. "You'll make a fine queen, yet."

Sabé actually rolled her eyes at that, the idea being quite ludicrous to her. She'd had enough of royalty for awhile, that much she knew.

**AN: Haha…so I finally updated, whoop-de-doo, that doesn't mean I'm re-obsessed with this fic as of now, just that I wanted to get it off my computer…I'm sure I'll get back into it eventually… but as of now, don't expect too much… and if you guys are Naruto fans, check out Akai Senkou and Through Fire and Wind!**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**


	9. A Daring Choice

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Nine: A Daring Choice**

**AN: I was inspired to write the next chapter for this fic, despite how eager I am to be finished with Sting of the Blade and then onto its sequel and to finish Book Seven of Looking Beyond, so I hope you all enjoy this.**

**Haha! I haven't written for this fic in months…oops…I've been…busy-ish. I've got an exam next Friday to study for, so this is likely to be the last thing updated before then. I'm not sure when this will be updated again, it's one of those sporadically-updated fics that I have (which is nearly all of them, now that I think about it).**

**I realized I have a bit of discrepancy with Obi-Wan learning Soresu, as it's said that Qui-Gon's death caused him to abandon his original style to study Soresu instead, but by this time Anakin was already his apprentice…so that'll be fun to write, I'll probably need to check out a few Star Wars books for research…**

* * *

If there was one thing that must be said, it was that the Naboo had very poor taste in clothing for their royals. Scratchy and uncomfortable seemed to be the consensus that Sabé had reached as Padmé's handmaidens helped her out of the gown of deep purple and into one that appeared to be what one could consider a fighting dress.

How anyone could fight in it, Sabé had yet to see, as it consisted of a long surcoat and skirt made from blast-dampening fabric with a headdress secured on her head with her long hair styled simply. If worse came to worse, Sabé decided, she'd ditch the headdress.

Thankfully, with how thick the layers of the dress were, she could hide her lightsabers without too much difficulty, and that pleased more than she would ever admit.

The plan, on the other hand was rather poorly conceived, and she had told her sister so, multiple times by now, but stubbornness must have been inherited because Padmé was beyond seeing reason and Sabé couldn't help but wish that someone else other than her was playing her decoy. The Gungan were…quite difficult and she could foresee that continuing.

And a vibro-wrench had been thrown in, so to speak, when the Otoh Gunga, the largest underwater city of the Gungan was discovered to be empty, but Jar Jar had been certain that his species hadn't been wiped out, but had moved to a sacred place, which was currently where they were going, before they found themselves with rather fierce Gungan escorts.

Sabé glanced over the guard to her left without a single change in expression, but this might have had more to do with the face paint that hid everything but the soft brown color of her eyes.

A root seemed to appear out of nowhere and Sabé nearly tripped, and would have, if not for the hand that grasped her elbow. Embarrassment flooded through Sabé.

"Thank you, Jedi Kenobi," she said solemnly and the young man inclined his head slightly as he took a few respectful steps back. He had sensed her embarrassment for a brief moment, though he suspected that had more to do with her nearly falling than him keeping her upright.

He was only half-right.

They entered into a clearing that held a swamp and the ruins of what must have been a grand temple at one point in the very distant past, one that had long since crumbled, as a large carved head was half submerged in the swamp, a tree growing around it, and it was on that head that Boss Nass and his council members were perched –in a manner of speaking– with the other Gungan refugees milling about around the swamp.

Bass Nass was a more robust Gungan than Jar Jar and with a deeper voice that was far more difficult to understand.

"Ya Honor," the Gungan who had been escorting them said, with a much clearer speech than Sabé had been expecting, "Queen Amidala of the Naboo."

And Jar Jar bumbled a bit with trying to act respectfully in Boss Nass' presence, thus diverting his attention.

"Jar Jar," he grunted, "yousa payen dis time. Who's da ussen others?"

Sabé stepped forward firmly, her eyes not leaving the Boss Nass' as she spoke in her carefully cultured voice. "I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo," her words echoed in the swamp, "I come before you in peace."

"Ah," Boss Nass said. "Naboo biggens. Yousa bringen da Mackineeks…Dya busten ussen up. Yousa all bombad. Yousa all die'n, mesa tink.

It wasn't the first time that someone had thought it best that Sabé not be alive, and she doubted that it wouldn't be the last. Gungan weren't well known for their associations with the fellow humanoids that lived on the same planet as them.

Sabé barely blinked, maintaining an indifference of sorts, her hands relaxed at her sides as Padmé's captain, guards, and handmaidens tensed behind her, trying not to be distracted by Padmé thinking hard behind her.

"We wish to form an alliance—" Sabé began, only to be interrupted by her sister breaking the ranks to stand in front of her.

"Your Honor," Padmé said and Arthree and Artoo hooted lowly from where they were positioned beside Anakin, as though worried (but Arthree was practically sentient, if you asked Sabé, that is).

"Whosa dis?" Boss Nass demanded with a wave of his large hand in Padmé's general direction.

"I am Queen Amidala," Padmé said, to general shock and Sabé hid her amusement quite well, even if she hadn't been wearing so many layers of face paint. Sabé glanced over to Obi-Wan and she wasn't surprised to see the irritation flashing across his face and the blatant scowl on Talik's. "This is my decoy…my protection…my loyal bodyguard, and my sister."

This time Sabé's blood red lips twisted upwards slightly.

"I am sorry for my deception," Padmé told the clearing, though her eyes did not leave the head Gungan. Sabé could see her plan now; revealing herself would certainly give her an edge, "but under the circumstances it has become necessary to protect myself. Although we do not always agree, Your Honor, our two great societies have always lived in peace...until now."

"Ah…" Bass Nass said in agreement.

"The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. You are in hiding, my people are in camps. If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever...I ask you to help us...no, I beg you to help us."

And with that said, Padmé fell to her knees, something that indicated great respect across the galaxy, and then Sabé followed, and shortly after, the captain, his troops, the handmaidens and the Jedi.

"We are your humble servants," Padmé said, her head still bowed. "Our fate is in your hands."

For a moment, nothing was said, and all that could be heard were the sounds of the birds in the trees and the wind whistling through the leaves, and then Boss Nass leaned his head back and released a laugh that echoed and reverberated.

"Yousa no tinken yousa greater den da Gungans?" he asked and Padmé gave a slight jerk of the head in agreement. "Mesa like dis. Maybe wesa bein friends."

* * *

"Quite an interesting turn of events, Knight Amidala."

Sabé's painted lips curled into another smile as she turned towards Qui-Gon who had spoken in a mild voice while Obi-Wan merely shook his head and Talik scowled.

"I cannot be blamed for my deceit," Sabé pointed out, "as it was the orders of Masters Yoda and Windu that I followed." She dropped a hand to her padawan's shoulder, and Talik's bright eyes fastened on hers. "Sometimes we must put aside what we wish and do what is expected of us."

Talik pursed her lips but she couldn't fault her master's words. "Yes, Master," she said, and then she wrapped her thin arms around Sabé's bulkily clothed waist.

Sabé gave her a smile as she was released, her eyes glancing towards Obi-Wan who was scrutinizing her so intently that she nearly blushed. "What is it?"

"I'm just thinking how uncanny your likeness was to the true queen," Obi-Wan admitted, "with the face paint you wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

This time, her smile showed her pearly teeth and her brown eyes glinted and Obi-Wan forced a smile in reply. Truthfully, it was unnerving how she could play her sister's role so well, but that was yet another reason why she was preferred for espionage missions. Obi-Wan found that he preferred it when he was able to see her face. The face paint created a mask that effortlessly hid her emotions.

"I believe the captain was lamenting that I would have made a perfect decoy queen," Sabé mentioned with a light laugh, "but I am far too attached to my duties as a Jedi."

"We are well aware," Qui-Gon replied with a bit of amusement himself before his face settled into a serious expression. "What concerns me more is your collapse in the Temple."

The white paint between her eyebrows wrinkled as they were brought closer together. "Yes," she said, "I believe the invader was attempting to assuage the amount of intelligence concerning the events of Naboo. If he was able to gather anything, it wasn't very much."

"Are you certain of that?"

Sabé's eyes darkened slightly and Talik could practically sense the affront rolling off her. "Quite certain," she said, her words clipped. "Come, Talik, we must speak with Padmé and the captain to assist them in their plan."

Talik squeezed past the two male Jedi to join her master only to come to a stop a short bit away as Sabé knelt so that they were eye-level.

"I wanted to tell you," Sabé told her, "but the masters thought it would be best if the Jedi returning with Queen Amidala were kept in the dark…you understand, don't you?"

"Yes, Master," Talik said, bowing her head slightly.

"But I was glad to see how you behaved in my seeming absence," Sabé added, "perhaps your first assignment without me will come sooner than your other year-mates."

Talik positively beamed at the compliment. "Really?"

She was still years away from such an assignment, still only at the tender age of ten. Sabé's own had started when she was sixteen, which meant, if Talik was lucky, she would begin at fourteen or fifteen. It was ingrained in Jedi when they were only Initiates of how they should behave in the presence of others, whether or not their master was by their side, and while Talik and her master were separately well known for their sharp tongues and wits, they both were capable to portraying a great deal of respect towards those who sometimes did not deserve it.

"Really," Sabé promised as she stood once more. "Now, why don't you go and keep an eye on the astromechs and Anakin…he's looking a bit out of sorts."

Talik glanced back to where the Tatooinian boy was standing, glancing around nervously. He clearly hadn't been anywhere with so much lush greenery before and it was a bit of culture-shock when one who had lived on a desert planet came to Naboo (Coruscant didn't particularly count, considering that it didn't have much of a climate unless one traveled down to the planet's surface, and that wasn't recommended).

"Are you alright?" she asked him as she approached him, Sabé moving off to have words with her younger sister who smiled at her, grasping at her arm as if to convey her thanks for what her eldest sister had done for her and then she joined them in speaking in low tones.

"Fine," Anakin said, blinking a few times to right himself, "I just wasn't expecting…you know, Padmé to be a queen."

Talik hummed in agreement. "She reminds me a lot of Master," she said, "but Master can play a queen very well." Padmé and Sabé walked in a similar purposeful way, but Sabé was far more graceful with so many years of 'saber-training under her belt and they spoke similarly.

Anakin laughed. "I wouldn't've guessed it was Miss Sabé…she was just like the queen I met on Coruscant."

"That's what Master is so good at," Talik said, wrinkling her nose slightly, "that's why Aayla –she's another Jedi, a Twi'lek like me– says she's at the top of the Order's list for infiltration and information-passing."

"Really?" Anakin asked with a bit of awe, his eyes moving to where the disguised Jedi was gesturing to a hologram.

Sabé Amidala was so very different from the girl he remembered from his dreams.

"Is this the best time to meditate, Master?"

Sabé was sitting on top of the mossy giant stone head, her eyes closed and her mind focused.

"My dear Padawan," Sabé said, "one day you will learn that there is never a bad time to meditate."

"Even if there's going to be a battle soon?" Talik asked.

"Especially if there's going to be a battle," Sabé agreed, "heightened emotions can lead to mistakes, and we cannot afford mistakes."

"Will I be with you this time?" Talik asked eagerly.

"You will be," Sabé said, not even opening her eyes, breathing in and out slowly. "And you will be the only Jedi accompanying me."

"Why's that?" Talik asked, her brow wrinkling in confusion. "What are Obi-Wan and Master Qui-Gon going to be doing?"

"They will be protecting Padmé," Sabé said, her eyes opening as she leapt lightly to the ground, not even jostling the headdress fixed on her head. If Sabé had had her way, she would be back in her dark cloak and jerkin, the rosy quality of her cheeks clear to see, and her brown braids hanging around her face.

But she would maintain the façade of the decoy queen, as she had maintained countless other covers.

"Master?"

Talik's curious gaze turned on her and Sabé met them. "Yes, Talik?"

"What do you think I'll be best suited for, when I'm a master, I mean?" Talik asked her.

Sabé smiled kindly down on her apprentice and the Twi'lek grinned reflexively in return. "Something magnificent, I am sure."

"What if I wanted to be a Jedi Guardian, like you?" Talik asked.

"You should only be what you want to be," Sabé told her firmly, kneeling down so that they were eye-level. "Don't be something because of what I am…remember that."

"Yes, Master."

"What else is bothering you?" Sabé asked, resting a hand on her apprentice's shoulder, concern in her eyes. "Are you worried about the battle?"

Talik was half-way through shaking her head when she had to admit –a bit reluctantly– that she was a bit anxious about. "Well, yes, but that's not what I was thinking about," she said. "Why didn't the Council accept Anakin? He's got more midi-chlorians than you!"

"The Council…" Sabé's red-painted lips drew downwards into a frown. She had always disagreed with certain aspects of the Jedi Code, and Anakin's situation with the Council's decision was one that irked her. "The Council believes Anakin is too old to be trained."

"That's not fair," Talik complained, digging the heel of her boot into the mud.

"If there's one thing the Council doesn't like to do, it's make exceptions," Sabé said with a sigh. "They have a very old-fashioned way of thinking."

"Is that why people on the Council don't like you?" Talik asked as Sabé straightened up.

"Only some," Sabé laughed, her eyes twinkling, "but I suppose forward-thinking has never been a part of the Council. Try not to worry too much about Anakin. Things will work out the way they are intended to. Focus on the now."

Talik nodded seriously as Sabé's eyes flashed to where Captain Panaka had rejoined the group, an intense frown on his face.

"Come, let's see what news there is," Sabé said, twitching her fingers in a 'come-hither' gesture, and Talik followed after her to join the Queen of Naboo and her many companions (including two male Jedi, two astromechs, the captain and his men, plus Boss Nass himself). The captain and the guards that had accompanied them from Naboo to Coruscant and back had managed to…reacquisition a few speeders for their use, which would be quite useful, as well as bring back a few more people than they'd left with.

"What is the situation?" Padmé demanded once the captain had given her a respectful bow, much desiring to know the state of her people.

"Almost everyone is in camps, Your Highness," Captain Panaka informed her a bit regretfully and Sabé took note of how her sister's face hardened at the news. And then she remembered that Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie, her mother and father, were still on-planet, along with Padmé's older sister and Sabé's younger, Sola. But Sabé couldn't spare them much thought, unfortunately, that was the way of the Jedi. "A few hundred police and guards have formed an underground movement. I brought as many of the leaders as I could. The Federation Army's also much larger than we thought, and much stronger. Your Highness, this is a battle I do not think we can win."

But Padmé was unswayed and did not waver from her decisions, and Sabé couldn't help but admire the resolve of her fourteen year old sister.

"The battle," Padmé said, "is a diversion. The Gungans must draw the Droid Army away from the cities." Artoo displayed a nearly transparent map from his holographic projector. "We can enter the city using the secret passages on the waterfall side." A trail of red appeared to show that which she had indicated. "Once we get to the main entrance, Captain Panaka will create a diversion, so that we can enter the palace and capture the Viceroy. Without the Viceroy, they will be lost and confused."

"What do you think, Master Jedi?" Padmé asked, speaking more to Qui-Gon than anyone else; as while Sabé may have been a master of another Jedi, she was not deemed a 'Jedi Master'.

"The Viceroy will be well guarded," Qui-Gon said in contemplation.

"The difficulty is getting into the throne room," Captain Panaka said in disagreement. "Once we're inside, we shouldn't have a problem.

Qui-Gon felt the need to point out, glancing to Boss Nass out of the corner of his eye. "There is a possibility with this diversion many Gungans will be killed."

"Wesa ready to do aresa part," Boss Nass said, thumping his chest with one greenish fist.

"We have a plan which should immobilize the droid army," Padmé added. "We will send what pilots we have to knock out the droid control ship which is orbiting the planet. If we can get past their ray-shields, we can sever communication and their droids will be helpless."

"A well-conceived plan," Qui-Gon concurred. "However, there's great risk."

"Yes," Sabé agreed, choosing not to notice how the eyes jumped to her, "it might result that the ray-shields are far too great for the weapons on your fighters."

"And there's an even bigger danger," Obi-Wan said, meeting Padmé's stare evenly. "If the Viceroy escapes, Your Highness, he will return with another droid army."

"That is why we must not fail to get to the Viceroy," Padmé said, her tone not even changing the slightest bit. "Everything depends on it."

Sabé glanced towards Obi-Wan and practically read his mind.

_I've got a bad feeling about this._

* * *

Sabé didn't much care for blasters, it must be said, but she couldn't deny that they had their uses –not many uses, but uses nonetheless. And she could only use her lightsabers so much, though it wasn't as though the droids could run off screaming that the Queen of Naboo had lightsabers.

Blasters were rather bulky and difficult to hide, but the group assaulting Theed had chosen the sleeker pistol blasters, so that wasn't too cumbersome.

"How many are there?" Talik whispered.

"A fair few," Sabé murmured back, one hand, her metallic fingers closed tightly around one of her lightsabers, while the other held a small blaster.

They were hiding in the shade of one of the carved archways. Sabé –still in the guise of Queen Amidala– was joined with Captain Panaka, Talik, Arthree, and several handmaidens, and guards, waiting for the signal from Padmé on the opposite side of the street.

A figure in a dark maroon cloak stepped out from safety briefly to flash a red light several times towards them, and Captain Panaka responded with his own blue light. They stalled for a brief few moments before the captain made a hand gesture towards his men, signaling for them to come forward with a speeder, shooting off a blast that collided with one the droid tanks that had been milling about in the street of the main plaza, a symbol of the oppressive regime of the Trade Federation.

The blast exploded the tank, causing it to short out and fall heavily to the ground, its ability to hover having been incredibly damaged by the attack.

Unfortunately, this drew blast-fire towards Sabé's group, which was the intention. Most of the droid army was distracted by the Gungan army on grassy plains of Naboo. Sabé's group was intended to be the secondary distraction to give Padmé's group enough time to enter and find and capture the Viceroy while the pilots went off to attempt to shut down the droid control ship.

The problem with the plan was that there were so many uncertainties and it all depended on the capture of the Viceroy, which was yet again another uncertainty. But Sabé would do what was expected of her, joining in on firing on the droids who were only so happy to fire back once it was clear they had a target.

Sabé would later have to admit with a bit of embarrassment that her aim was rather poor, and it was doubtful that she hit more than one of the droids, but she certainly did assist in causing as much of a distraction as possible for Padmé and her group to slip away, first making for the hanger bay where the pilots would branch off.

Talik proved her skill at evading blast-fire with a series of clumsy dodges, but Sabé was not so lucky. The bulkiness of her battle dress and headdress still secure on the top of her head was doing nothing for her in the matter of evasive maneuvers. She scored a graze to her cheek rather early on and a few burns to her surcoat and one blast had clipped her side.

This time she was lucky her arms hadn't been hit; Sabé just couldn't handle the loss of the use of her dominant limbs.

Captain Panaka gave her the nod and she returned the blaster to her hip, calling her second lightsaber to her hand and the dual violet blades flared to life to join Talik's emerald one.

"Two Jedi!" one of the droids squawked like an alert. "Two Jed—!"

Sabé dismembered it neatly before throwing the others back into the wall with a wave of her hand, the Force answering her call.

Hopefully the others' situation was according to plan, but Sabé didn't have time to think about that, she had work to do.

**AN: Alright, this time I promise this will be the last thing I update before my exam, and after that, the most likely fics to be updated are Become Something Better and Looking Beyond.**

**I hope you lot enjoyed this chapter!**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	10. The Battle For Theed

**Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to George Lucas**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Ten: Battle For Theed**

**AN: The continuing love for this fic is one of the things that keeps me coming up with ideas of where to take the fic.**

**Fun fact: I'd originally planned to start this when Sabé was younger, which would have meant that there'd be less flashbacks like there were towards the beginning, but that idea fizzled out and I like how the fic is going.**

**Also, concerning the speech of the battle droids in this chapter…I've done my share of binging on Star Wars: Clone Wars, which is mostly where I adopted their way of speaking…they're not a very intelligent bunch, but they are certainly humorous to a degree.**

**Haha, here's another fic I've seriously neglected, my bad. But the Force Awakens is coming out soon so I was reinspired, so, enjoy!**

* * *

"Why didn't you do that earlier?" demanded Yané, looking down at the dismembered droids.

"It's very violent," Sabé told her bluntly. "Jedi are meant to be peacekeepers first." Annoyance crossed her face at being considered anything other than that. Jedi were indeed warriors, trained and highly skilled warriors, but they tried not to resort to violence.

Yané rolled her eyes for good measure towards the older woman, but she couldn't fault her for her reluctance to kill. Nabooans, on principle, were a peaceful race, but this caused them to be taken advantage of by their enemies, which was the reason why they were in this situation to begin with.

"More incoming!" Captain Panaka shouted as another tank rolled in. "We need to make for the hangar bay to draw the fire away from the queen!"

Sabé gave a curt nod, nearly dislodging the heavy headdress resting atop her head. "We'll deal with these droids quickly, then, right, Talik?"

The twi'lek nodded quickly moving to join her master, both solidifying their stances and extending their hands into the air towards where the tank was moving closer to them.

Sabé's control of the Force was far better than Talik's, that much was quite evident to the girl, even before they'd met. Now Talik's arms shook from the pressure of the Force, but Sabé's were still. The tank tilted on its side, crashing into the side of the wall of a nearby building, squashing a few battle droids as it did so.

A nod to Panaka sent the captain racing for the secondary door that led to the hangar bay, with the handmaidens following swiftly afterwards, Talik and Sabé coming up the rear, blocking blaster bolts with their lightsabers.

Unfortunately, more were arriving, despite how slow the battle droids and their tanks moved, so the two Jedi fell back, the door shutting behind them.

"They're still coming!" Saché gasped, clutching a stitch in her side, even as Sabé knelt to pull the paneling off the side of the door, ripping out the wires from within, sealing the blast doors.

"Not anymore," Sabé said with certainty, returning her 'saber to her side and hefting her blaster. "Come on, we don't have any time to waste."

Panaka grunted in agreement before the group was racing down the hallway, blasters and a lightsaber held ready for any attack, but they were unhindered in their efforts to reach the main hangar bay.

"Good, you're here," Padmé said when they came across her grouping. "What held you?"

Laughter bubbled from Sabé's lips before she could silence it. "Oh, you know," she said airily, "just a horde of battle droids."

Padmé grinned while Obi-Wan shook his head in exasperation and Qui-Gon gave a small sigh of his own. One Amidala was bad enough, but now there were two, and that wouldn't end well.

But that thought had no use in their current situation, so Qui-Gon forced it back as the two merged groups joined up to storm into the hangar bay in a sudden explosion of noise.

Sabé kept a steady hand on her 'saber at her side, but this time she didn't bother using it, keeping a tight grip on her blaster instead as red blaster bolts were shot at them from varying directions. Talik ducked and dived, her emerald blade clashing with the red bolts, but she couldn't silence the yelp of pain from a glancing strike against one of her lekku.

Anakin was keeping his head down as he searched for a place to hide that was out of the way of the two attacking forces. Unfortunately, there weren't all too many places a boy of his size could hide in a hangar bay like the one they were in. The best he could do was hide in the cockpit of one of the starfighters that Artoo had locked himself into and watch the battle commence.

Eirtaé had been hit on her dominant blaster arm and was forced to switch to her left and Rabé had to be dragged across the floor to keep her out of the way of anymore damaging hits. The Jedi were faring much better, he noticed, even Sabé with only a blaster in her hand, though some of the targets she was barely managing to hit.

The other starfighters with their pilots were taking off, but the battle droids still had tanks, and one of the shots hit a starfighter, clipping its wing and sending it pin wheeling downwards to explode against the ground.

Sabé took down the last two battle droids with two successive shots. "We've no doubt lost the element of surprise."

"But we were expecting that," Obi-Wan mentioned beside her, powering his 'saber down and his words earned him a wry smile from her painted lips and a small roll of her eyes.

"It certainly would have made things easier," Sabé had to concede with a small sigh, "ah, well."

"Where to next?" Talik asked, and it was Padmé that answered her.

"My guess is that the Viceroy's in the throne room," she said with an annoyed frown, owing, no doubt, to the fact that the throne room was technically hers for the term.

"I agree," concurred Qui-Gon.

"Blue group, with me!" Sabé called. "We're taking the long way round!"

The few handmaidens and members of the palace security detail followed after her and Talik as they left through the door they'd come in.

"Red group, this way!" Captain Panaka barked out to the rest of them, leading them towards a different door.

They started to move and Anakin stood up quickly in his cockpit, not wanting to be left behind. "Hey!" he called. "Wait for me!"

Obi-Wan's eyes shifted to his and Anakin could practically feel him asking him to remain where he was, but Obi-Wan wasn't saying anything and the feeling just left Anakin a bit confused.

"Anakin, stay where you are," Qui-Gon told him instead.

"But, I—!"

"Stay in that cockpit!"

Anakin sulked as he sat back down with a petulant frown on his face, but he still did as the Jedi asked.

As they made to go through the door, it slid open to reveal a dark-cloaked figure. The figure lifted its head to reveal the same yellowed eyes and the red and black-tattooed face as the Zebrak male Qui-Gon had fought on Tatooine, the one Obi-Wan remembered Sabé describing from her nightmares.

And Obi-Wan could sense nothing but darkness coming from him. He was practically drowning in the Dark Side of the Force.

"We'll handle this," Qui-Gon said and Padmé nodded sharply, waving her hand to her troops.

"We'll take a separate route," Padmé agreed as they moved to the left hand side of the hangar bay, leaving only the Jedi to throw off their robes and lighting their 'sabers.

* * *

"I have a bad feeling about this," Sabé muttered, leaning against the wall, trying to keep out of sight from the battle droids.

"You always have a bad feeling, Master," Talik hissed from the opposite wall.

"Given our current situation, that should hardly come as a surprise," Sabé replied, a smile gracing her lips as she handed her blaster off to the young man standing beside her, calling her twin 'sabers to her hands. "Ready?"

Talik gave a short nod and both Jedi leapt out into the open, their combined three 'sabers flaring to life.

"Two Jedi!" one battle droid called out before the others leapt out to join them. Sabé twisted, her blades spinning around her as she blocked and attacked the rain of blaster bolts aimed towards their group, and the group retaliated in kind.

Talik sliced through the last battle droid with a flourish. "They're going to keep coming if those starfighters don't shut down the droid control ship."

"Patience, my young Padawan," Sabé hummed. "A little faith can go a long way."

Talik scowled and Eirtaé couldn't stifle her snort. "Are you always like this?"

"It keeps things interesting," Sabé replied with a careless shrug, "on a good day."

"_Master!"_ Talik groaned, but Sabé ignored her, kneeling to press a palm against the ground, spreading out her Force awareness, searching for anymore enemies.

"Eirtaé, what direction should we be making in?" Sabé asked, keeping most of her attention on searching for further enemies in their path.

"Right until the next hallway, then the first staircase up to the third floor, the throne room is the only room on the third floor," Eirtaé explained, moving forward to Sabé's side with wide eyes. "Can you sense our enemies?"

Talik snorted, rolling her eyes at the question, causing the handmaiden to arch an eyebrow. "Master can use Force sense, it allows her to sense those close to her and sometimes others thoughts and feelings."

"Can you?" Eirtaé asked.

The lavender-skinned twi'lek drew a hand up, using her thumb and index finger to indicate how small her skill was in that area. "A little; Master's way better at it, though."

"I need to concentrate, Talik," Sabé warned, working hard to focus on sensing those within the palace. She could feel Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon on the lower level along with a familiar dark presence.

Unease rippled across Sabé and Talik's master-padawan bond and Talik knelt beside her master. "Master Sabé? What's wrong?"

"Nothing we need to concern ourselves with for the time being," Sabé said heavily, directing her attention upwards to where they were currently before following the route that Eirtaé had described to her. "Currently, it seems there are…twenty-seven battle droids between us and the throne room…" She frowned, using the Theran Force-listening technique to focus her attention on those within the throne room, as it seemed that the Viceroy had captured Padmé and her group of fighters.

"_Your little insurrection is at an end,"_ he said, and Sabé opened her eyes, standing swiftly.

"Nute Gunray has Padmé in the throne room," the Jedi Knight said. "We must move swiftly, _now."_

They all gave nods in return and Sabé turned to Talik with a smile. "Want to freak out some battle droids?"

Talik's shoulders sagged. "Do I really have a choice?"

Sabé gave a short laugh before Talik ducked around the corner with a congenial smile on her face as she waved at the battle droids beyond.

"Hello!" she said cheerfully. "Nice day for a rebellion, right?"

"Who are you?" one battle droid asked.

"Is it a rebel?" another asked.

"It doesn't look armed," said a third.

"I'm Talik Shala," Talik said, her smile widening into a feral grin, "Jedi Padawan."

And then she called her 'saber hilt to her hand, the green blade flaring to life as the others leapt out to join her.

"Fire on them!"

"Roger, roger!"

Talik leapt over their heads, blocking blaster bolts as her master twirled hers in a circular motion, acting as a shield to the handmaidens and security volunteers who fired on the droids in earnest, cutting them all down in mere moments.

"You Jedi aren't bad," Fé, a handmaiden that currently had her arm in a makeshift sling, said with a bit of grudging admiration.

Sabé smiled. "We do try," she said, powering her 'sabers down and clipping them back to her waist as she reached for a spare blaster. "Come on, the only way we're going to get the queen out of this mess is for me to play decoy."

And with that said, Sabé took the steps up two at a time.

* * *

Nute Gunray was smirking at her with Rune Haako by his side and Padmé really hated that look. She wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face, but given her current situation, that just wasn't possible.

"Your little insurrection is at an end, Your Highness," the Viceroy told her with certainty. "Time for you to sign the treaty and end this pointless debate in the Senate."

A muscle jumped in Padmé's jaw as she clenched her teeth together, her shoulders tense. But, it seemed, she needn't have worried, because another voice pierced through the silence that had followed his words.

"Viceroy! Your occupation here has ended!" Sabé called, looking every bit the Queen of Naboo that Padmé had hoped she would. There was a cut on one of her white-painted cheeks, staining it red, and her battle dress was singed from blaster-fire. She certainly looked like more of a queen than Padmé did. "I will sign no treaty!"

And she and her group raised their blasters and fired on the battle droids. They fell in a shower of sparks before she and her group darted to the right, no doubt making to draw the rest of the droids after them rather than staying with Padmé and her group.

"After her!" Nute Gunray commanded and the droids hastened to comply to his demands. "This one is a decoy!" He turned towards Padmé. "Your queen will not get away with this."

But Padmé ignored him to dart around to her throne, sitting down on the seat and pressing one of the security buttons on the side that opened a panel that contained hidden blasters. She grabbed two, throwing one to Captain Panaka with a call of "Captain!"

They dispatched the droids in moments between the two of them before turning the blasters on the Neimodians who jerked back with a flicker a fear evident on their faces.

"Jam the doors," Captain Panaka ordered as his men relieved the cut-down droids of their weapons, moving to secure the door and the window to ascertain the situation in the palace square below.

"Now, Viceroy," Padmé said, her voice just a tad smug, "we will discuss a new treaty. As my sister said, your occupation here has ended."

"Don't be absurd," the Viceroy countered. "There are too few of you. It won't be long before hundreds of destroyer droids break in to rescue us."

"Never underestimate Nabooans," Captain Panaka warned.

And four Jedi had certainly evened the odds a bit, even if two of them had been sidetracked by that figure in the dark cloak at the hangar bay. Sabé and Talik were certainly making good time on their own destruction of the droids to make up for their companions.

"Droidekas!" came a shout from the hallway, shortly followed by several successive blaster bolts before something metallic was shot through the wall and Sabé peered through the hole a bit sheepishly as they all looked from the battered remains of the droideka that she had forced through the wall.

"Sorry about that," Sabé apologized. "There's more on the way, you lot had better stay in there until we've got it sorted."

* * *

Sabé was exhausted. She would have never thought that droids could bring her to such a state, but, to be fair, there were a lot of droids.

"Can we-stop?" Talik gasped, bracing her hands against her knees, her face shining with sweat from her exertion. "I don't think -I can move…" She fell to her knees breathing hard and the others were much the same, though not nearly as worn out as the two Jedi who had been leaping around in their efforts to dismantle the droids and defend their companions.

"That might be a bit difficult," Eirtaé remarked, "since there's more headed this way."

Sabé twisted her 'sabers in her hands, tensing her form, ready for an attack when a scream echoed through Force, rippling through it like a wave breaking against the shoreline. Sabé froze and Talik clutched her head with a startled cry of "What was that?"

"What was what?" one of the security volunteers asked in confusion behind them.

"Obi-Wan," Sabé murmured, sensing his pain and feeling Qui-Gon's force-signature all but disappear. "Don't worry about it," she added to Talik. "We'll sort it out later."

"Sort it out later, Master?" Talik gaped at her, her eyes wide and stunned. "But you heard—!"

"Not now, Talik!" Sabé warned as more battle droids approached their location. "We don't have time to run down to Obi-Wan, focus on what you can do right here and now!"

Talik frowned as she used the wall to pull herself upright. Obi-Wan was her master's friend, after all, if she could refrain from rushing down to assist him, then so could Talik.

Sabé leapt forward, cart-wheeling over the droids, landing just behind them. She drew her hand up to her painted lips to whistle sharply at them.

"This way you bucket of bolts!"

"Look a Jedi!" one droid cried. "After her!"

"You idiot," the other said, "that's the queen!"

Sabé gave a shrug, shaking her head slightly as though she was ashamed. "I did expect a bit more from you, I will admit, but really, this is just sad."

"What are you talking about?"

Sabé smiled, drawing her 'sabers up, their brightness causing a glow across her skin. "Obviously, I'm the distraction."

Indeed, as soon as she had begun to speak, her padawan and those in her group that still possessed blasters had begun to shoot at the droids, barring the three that had been distracted by her leaping behind them.

She swung her 'sabers ripping through their midsections and leaping them dismembered on the ground.

"Master, you're making me look bad!" Talik griped.

Sabé released a short laugh at that. "My very young padawan, you should know that masters excel at making their students look bad, that is why they are the _masters_." She lifted a sardonic eyebrow as Talik merely huffed in annoyance.

"Any more droids incoming?" Yané asked as a young man moved to the window to chance a look outside.

"No," he replied, his voice coming out a bit stunned, "I think the droid control ship has been destroyed!"

"It has?" Fé yelped, racing to his side, looking down into the square where all the droids could be seen keeled over and the tanks resting against the ground rather than hovering above it.

"Thank the stars for that," Sabé sighed in relief, deactivating her weapons, clipping them to her waist once more, before raising her hands to rip the headdress from her head, an action that had her wincing in discomfort.

"_Hey!_ What're you doing?" Eirtaé demanded, flitting to her side, her face set in a mask of disapproval despite the fact that she was addressing a Jedi Knight how was several years older than herself. "You're going to rip your hair out at this rate!"

"Better than wearing that headdress a moment long," Sabé replied without a trace of doubt as she raked a hand through her brown tresses. It was annoying that they couldn't be kept in her typical braids, but that was an issue that would have to be remedied at a later date. "I need to check on Obi-Wan. Talik stay with them."

She barely heard Talik utter an affirmation before she was rushing off, scaling her way down the stairs, making for the power generator beneath the palace. That Zebrak male that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had been fighting…the last time she'd crossed his path, he'd relieved her of an arm…and now he'd left Obi-Wan without a master, as she had felt Qui-Gon's force-signature disappear completely only moments before.

But would her friend be all right?

Sabé turned left, rushing faster when she saw him beyond the electric rays, but she had to stop five rays short when they cycled on once more. She gritted her teeth together in impatience, glowering at the ray generator before turning her attention to Obi-Wan.

She could only see his back as he had leaned his body protectively over his fallen master.

"Oh, Obi-Wan," Sabé murmured sadly.

When his master had been struck down must have been the moment when he cried out. Sabé remembered a time when she had thought her master had been dead for a brief few seconds and the thought had been mildly terrifying (Yoda was the Grandmaster, after all) and she had been grief-stricken before she'd raced to his side and reminded herself that their master-padawan bond was still in place.

But in that scenario, Sabé's master had survived, and it was clear that Obi-Wan's had not.

Sabé waited patiently for the rays to shut off before she could finally reach his side, and then she knelt.

"Obi-Wan," she said gently, reaching out a hand to his shoulder and Obi-Wan lifted his body from the protective shield over his master he has formed to look to his friend with eyes red and tears streaked down his cheeks.

"Sabé," he croaked her name and Sabé wasn't sure she had ever seen him look so vulnerable.

Her eyes softened as she cupped his cheek with one hand, smudging away the tears before throwing her arms around him.

He clutched to her battle dress and she to the back of his tunic. "I'm so sorry, Obi-Wan," she said numbly, "I heard your scream through the Force and…" She swallowed thickly, her mind drawing up images of pain and she slammed them away violently.

"It was the Sith," he spoke throatily into her ear and Sabé jerked back, releasing him in her surprise.

"_Sith?"_ she gasped.

She had never imagined that her childhood attacker was actually a _Sith!_

"What happened to him?" she asked, eyes darting around, searching for an enemy that could not be seen or even sensed.

"He's dead," Obi-Wan said frostily.

"Oh," Sabé said weakly. The Sith were said to have been very powerful…that he was skilled enough to cut one down whilst his master had fallen spoke volumes about his skills. Sabé couldn't help but be impressed.

"_Master_," Talik's voice came from the comm.-link on Sabé's arm, making both jump at the noise, _"the survivors are gathering on the main level."_

"We'll meet you there," Sabé promised as Obi-Wan wiped the vestiges of his tears from his cheeks before pulling Qui-Gon's body up until he'd situated him over one shoulder.

"You ready?" she asked him just as gently as before as she lifted Qui-Gon's 'saber from the ground (she opted not to remark on the fact that Obi-Wan's was missing).

Obi-Wan nodded and Sabé deactivated the electric rays to allow them to pass.

The battle had been won, but at what cost?

**AN: Probably the one thing I'm really looking forward to writing in this fic is the Clone War section, because Sabé's going to get into a lot of stuff and its going to be chaotic and amazing…and Obi-Wan hasn't even started his Soresu training yet, so Aayla's going to drag him off to train first chance she gets. I assure you, he will be the Soresu Master he is in canon.**

**Thanks for the patience, I understand it's been a good long while since the last update, but now we're for the most part done with the Phantom Menace, which means we'll get back to the good stuff at the Jedi Temple.**

**It's a fanfic update month for me, so there might be more for Christmas, but I make no promises.**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	11. Funeral Pyre for Qui-Gon

**Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to George Lucas**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Eleven: Funeral Pyre for Qui-Gon**

**AN: Ohmigods, The Force Awakens was brilliant (but still annoying in some aspects because of Extended Universe reasons), but no spoilers! It's definitely worth it so if you haven't seen it, go check it out.**

**On the upside, here's another chapter of Star Wars-y goodness.**

* * *

When Obi-Wan finally came out of the room that Padmé had so graciously gifted him, it was to the sound of music and laughter and dancing. He descended the stairs slowly, coming out of the palace and making his way across the streets of Theed to where all the light was coming from.

It was a bonfire he came to realize, one that was danced around by humanoid Nabooans and Gungans alike, clearly celebrating the victory over the Trade Federation.

And it was easy to spot Sabé a good bit away from the crowd. The face paint was gone and her hair was back in its multitude of braids, and she was dressed comfortably in her leather jerkin and pants. She leaned against a nearby pillar with a fond smile on her face while Arthree hooted and beeped close to her side.

"I was missing the braids," he said, coming up beside her and Sabé raised a hand to one of them with her smile still in place.

"Yes," she said with a laugh, "you know I can only take my hair being down for so long."

Obi-Wan nodded with a light chuckle. That was very true; he had known her for years and it was always evident that she hated to leave her hair hanging loose.

"How are you?" she asked him, turning her eyes on him and he could see the fire reflected in her brown eyes. "I thought it was probably best to leave on your own for a bit."

"I'll be all right," Obi-Wan assured her, though he was sure his expression was a bit sad, "thank you, though."

"Master Jinn was a great Jedi," Sabé sighed, "he will be missed."

Obi-Wan said nothing to that, opting instead to watch the dancers swaying to the music. Amidst the figures, Talik could be seen.

"I see your Padawan is having a lovely time," he commented instead.

Sabé snorted. "Twi'leks are natural dancers, it shouldn't really come as a surprise." She watched Talik grab Anakin, a grin on her lips, pulling him forward to join her. "Talik's just making what she can of the time she's got. As soon as we're back on-world again she's going straight back into class."

Most Jedi were still Initiates at Talik's age and still learning about the ways of the Force and peace-keeping, and since Talik was so young, she couldn't go on every mission with her master, especially since most of Sabé's missions had to deal with espionage.

"I'm sure she'll enjoy that," Obi-Wan replied with a bit of amusement, but Sabé frowned. "What is it?"

"Talik…finds it difficult to connect to other younglings," Sabé admitted, tapping a nail against her metallic arm. "I gather they're a bit jealous of her having a master at her age."

Sabé was familiar with jealously, being the former Padawan to the Grandmaster of the Jedi Council hadn't made her many friends. And being part of a prophecy made her even less.

"What will happen to the boy?" she asked.

"I promised my master that I would train him, and that's what I will do," Obi-Wan said with steel in his eyes.

Sabé arched an eyebrow. "Against the will of the council?"

And then she smiled when his expression did not change. "He'll be lucky to have you for a master."

Arthree gave a loud beeping whistle and Obi-Wan marveled at Sabé's ability to translate the sounds the astromech made when most needed a translator to understand those beeps.

Sabé waved her hand with a small smile present on her lips and Arthree's holographic projector activated, shaping into the form of Aayla Secura.

"_Sabé, I heard you've been playing queen,"_ Aayla said, leaning forward with an easy smile on her lips. _"That must've been exciting."_

Sabé laughed. "Yes, exciting, nothing like being shot at by more droids than you can count."

Aayla chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. _"At least you're out doing something. I'm still teaching younglings how to not put their eyes out with their 'sabers!"_

Sabé's lips curled in amusement. "An honorable duty, I'm sure."

"_Laugh it up, Amidala! Just you wait until I get my hands on you…right after Obi-Wan."_

Obi-Wan, who was out of the frame of being seen by Aayla started in surprise and Sabé arched an eyebrow.

"I wasn't aware that you had developed feelings for Obi-Wan," she said blandly and Obi-Wan flushed at the insinuation.

"_Like that could happen,"_ Aayla scoffed, "_you tell him his ass is mine as soon as he's back on-world, will you?"_

"Will do."

"_Try not to crash on your way back."_

"Will do."

"_You just want me to stop talking, don't you?"_ Aayla asked wryly.

"I would never!"

"_Some friend you are,"_ the Twi'lek grumbled under her breath. _"See you back at the Jedi Temple, all right?"_

"I'll be there," Sabé promised, and the hologram faded.

"So," Obi-Wan said carefully, "whatever did I do to incur Aayla Secura's wrath?"

The question surprised Sabé, whose eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, nothing, she's just going to force you to learn Soresu if it kills her. She thinks your talent is being wasted on any other style."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but stare. Aayla Secura was a well-known practitioner of the Soresu fighting style, and had pressured him before, but Obi-Wan had not been so quick to abandon his Ataru fighting style. But, that was the same style that failed to save Qui-Gon.

"I'm not sure I'd be very good at Soresu," Obi-Wan admitted.

Sabé chuckled, glancing towards her friend with eyes that glittered with humor. "I don't think she's going to let you get out of it."

Obi-Wan gave an exasperated sigh. "Relentless, that friend of yours."

"It's what she does best," Sabé agreed fondly, her eyes watching Padmé as she moved through the people. She was dressed simply, attending the celebration not as Naboo's queen, but as one of its citizens.

"You can go out there and join her."

"I really couldn't," Sabé muttered. "I would have been content, you know, if I had never met my family."

"I know," Obi-Wan said. And he did. Meeting her family on her mission when she was younger had done little to change her views concerning the Jedi. They had been unorthodox before she had met them, and they had been unorthodox after.

"I do wonder about the Jedi Order's view on attachment, though," Sabé said, tugging on one of her braids with a thoughtful expression. "Surely there must be Jedi who had found solace in the attachments they held and didn't find themselves turning to the Dark Side when they suffered the loss of the ones they'd been attached to?"

"Maybe they kept it to themselves," Obi-Wan suggested, "I've never read of anything like that in the archives."

"Neither have I," Sabé lamented. "Maybe that'll be a project of mine…maintaining attachments and not turning to the Dark Side. Of course, the whole idea that attachment is unbelievably ironic, since Padawans and Masters have bonded attachments to each other…the first Jedi were probably just trying to make our lives difficult…" She grumbled mutinously to herself.

Obi-Wan shook his head in fond amusement; Sabé could always be found questioning several Jedi principals if given enough time.

"It's probably best I stay back here," Sabé said once she'd finished her rant. "Sola's in there and I can feel her anger from here. I think her dislike of me has grown."

Sola could barely stand to be in the same room as Sabé when she had been guarding her father, and when she had, her glares had been venomous and her words were spat like poison. She had never quite forgiven her for choosing the Jedi over her own family.

"I know something that might take your mind off your sister," Obi-Wan's voice broke through her haze and Sabé looked up in surprise.

"What?"

He leaned forward with a conspirator-like air_. "Dancing."_

She gaped at him and her heart skipped a beat. "Obi-Wan, you know how_ terrible_ I am at dancing!" she blurted, her cheeks flushing at the mere memory of the last time she had attempted it.

In fact, she had nearly caused an international incident when she'd been on assignment. Frankly it was a bit of a miracle that no one had died, and Sabé chalked that up to her ability to Force-suggest.

"When are you going to find another atmosphere like this one?" Obi-Wan coaxed. "No one will know how bad you are at dancing."

But Sabé remained dubious.

Obi-Wan took a few steps forward before offering her his hand. "Come on, I'll dance with you."

Sabé chewed on the edge of her lip, forcing the jitters in her stomach away as she smiled at him, sliding her metallic palm against his, grasping his hand.

"All right," she said, before warning, "If I make a fool of myself, though, I will be blaming you, Kenobi, no questions asked."

And he gave her a lighthearted laugh in return.

* * *

"_You cannot stop me,"_ a voice snarled, _"no more than you can stop yourself!"_

Sabé was beginning to hate the nightmares that plagued her mind intermittently since the day she had lost her arm, which may have been the source of the problem.

Sabé's face was the one she saw under the black hood, eyes yellowed like the Sith from her youth had been. She was older, and her eyes were colder.

"_The Jedi will be no more!"_

And then the crimson lightsaber went right through Sabé's stomach and she awoke with a start, jolting from the pain of it.

But Sabé was not wounded, a fact that her mind grappled with momentarily before she realized just where she was.

She was in the room that Padmé had given her and Talik, and Talik was still asleep in the bed across from Sabé's, her chest rising and falling as she slept on, undisturbed.

A soft sigh left Sabé's lips at that and she relaxed against her pillow, rubbing at her eyes with a hand of flesh. But she didn't go back to sleep, perhaps it was that she couldn't, so Sabé pulled herself upright, grabbing her clothes and making for the refresher.

She leaned against the wall as the water flowed over her, soaking through her braids and warming her skin from the cold that the dream had brought on.

The image of herself taking her own life…it gave her a chilly feeling, but most of her dreams concerning her double gave her that same feeling.

Cold…like the Dark Side.

Sabé shivered at the thought, turning off the water, toweling herself dry and dressing in her usual garb. Her fingers roved over the metallic plating of her artificial arm before she pulled the black glove over it, having forgone it previously. With the glove she could almost imagine that she still had an arm, but Sabé had long since grown used to its lack.

She swept her cloak up over her shoulders and pressed the button that opened the door. Arthree's domed head twisted towards her, making a soft inquiring beep, and Sabé considered him briefly before giving a sigh.

"All right," she muttered, stepping aside and the R3 unit gave a cheerful beep that caused Talik to stir in her sleep and Sabé pressed a finger to her lips, hissing at the astromech to be quiet, glancing to where her Padawan was sleeping, maintaining her silence to see if the Twi'lek would awaken. But after a moment Talik simply rolled over, fast asleep.

Arthree rolled out of the room after Sabé and the door slid shut.

The palace was silent, but that was to be expected, given how early it was; Sabé could just see a hint of the sun breaking across the horizon.

"Knight Amidala?"

Sabé turned to see Captain Panaka striding towards her, a bit of a bemused expression on his face.

"Captain," she said simply, inclining her head. "I assume most of the palace is still asleep?"

"You'd be correct," the captain said before prompting, "Couldn't sleep?"

"I have far too much on my mind," Sabé diverted.

"Perhaps you'd want a status update?"

She gave a small gesture with her hand, joining him at a leisure walk down the vacant hall.

"The ship bearing the new Chancellor and members of your Jedi Order are due to arrive at midday…for Master Jinn's funeral."

Generally Jedi remains were sealed within the Jedi Temple, if they could be recovered, and in whatever state they were recovered in. A good portion of the Jedi remains were ash, though, so it had been decided that there would be a funeral pyre for Qui-Gon Jinn.

Of the masters that were flying out with the newly elected Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, there were: Masters Yoda, Windu, Koth, Piell, Mundi, and Billaba. Yoda, she was certain, would be speaking to Obi-Wan soon after they landed.

"And the repairs on the cargo ship you arrived in are almost complete."

Sabé's eyebrows rose high on her forehead at that; she hadn't been expecting them to repair the ship that the Trade Federation had shot down with her and Talik still inside.

"You fixed it?" she asked, unable to help the surprise in her voice.

"The queen commanded it," Captain Panaka said with a touch of amusement. "As an apology for being the reason you were shot down in the first place."

A fond smile brushed across Sabé's lips at that. It was a kindness she hadn't anticipated, but it was appreciated all the same.

"Give her my thanks," Sabé said before giving him a sheepish smile. "The ship was a loan from a friend of mine and he would not have been pleased for me to return it as scrap metal."

Silon was a sleazy businessman who dealt mostly with the black market on Coruscant, how a Jedi Knight and a swindler ever came to become friends was an odd story indeed, one that involved a virbro-wrench, some caf, a bit of Force-persuasion, and a Nautolan that had some rather appalling balance.

She dropped him hints about others finding his operation and he, in turn, offered her favors. Though, as it was, Sabé had seen him less and less since she'd become the master to Talik.

Still, he would be pleased to get his cargo ship back.

The captain frowned at her. "I assume you weren't too terribly injured during the battle?"

"Not too terrible," Sabé assured him, her eyes crinkling in the corners.

It was true that her chest was still a little sore from several blaster bolts to the chest –which would have killed her probably if she hadn't been wearing blast-dampening material– but for the most part, Sabé had healed from the ordeal.

"I was actually looking for a peaceful place to meditate," she admitted, tugging on one of her braids.

"The palace gardens are very peaceful," Captain Panaka said before giving a soft chuckle. "Usually that's where the queen goes."

_To hide_ went unspoken, but Sabé heard it all the same.

"And where is the garden?" she asked only to be directed through a high-arching hallway, coming to a stop swiftly on the edge of the grass.

This will do nicely, Sabé thought as she looked upon it. The water was pooling gently in the carved fountain and there were stone benches strewn around the flourishing blossoms.

Sabé sat down on one bench, crossing her legs and clearing her mind.

* * *

The Republic's aircraft whipped the air around them as it landed. Talik and Anakin draw their arms up to shield their eyes from where they stood at Sabé and Obi-Wan's respective sides, but the older Jedi merely squinted their eyes as the aircraft swiveled until it could set down, the ramp extending.

"Now, Viceroy," Padmé said, dressed in a somber black garb to honor those of her people who lost their lives in the attacks on Naboo, "you're going to have to go back to the Senate and explain all this."

"I think you can kiss your Trade franchise goodbye," Captain Panaka agreed by her side, moving forward to lead them, in cuffs, to the cruiser, and the Jedi (with Anakin tagging alone, close to Obi-Wan's side as if to attach to the one who knew Qui-Gon Jinn the best) joined them, only to bow politely to the Chancellor knew he stepped into their path.

For what it was worth, Sabé honestly preferred the former Chancellor to the current one, but politics was an area that had never been her strongest suit.

Chancellor Palpatine was smiling broadly but there had always been something about him that made Sabé ill at ease.

"We are indebted to you for your bravery, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sabé Amidala, and Talik Shala," he said, the very image of a former-senator grateful for their efforts to keep his planet safe.

Talik seemed surprised that he would know her name, seeing as she was only a Padawan.

"And you, young Skywalker, we will watch your career with great interest," the Chancellor said with an almost secretive smile, patting the boy's shoulder as he moved past them to greet the queen and her entourage, leaving the Jedi to bow to the members of their High Council before walking with them to the queen's side once more.

"Congratulations on your election, Chancellor," Padmé said, her eyes twinkling even if her face was hidden beneath a layer of face paint. "It is good to see you again."

Palpatine's smile widened. "It's good to be home," he said. "Your boldness has saved our people, Your Majesty, it is you who should be congratulated. Together we shall bring peace and prosperity to the Republic."

"That, too, is my hope," Padmé agreed, her lips curling upwards. "I have the utmost faith in you, Chancellor."

* * *

Night had barely fallen when Sabé found herself in a central plaza, standing close to the back of the plaza with Talik positioned on the step below the one she was standing on. Talik's hood was down, but Sabé's was up, as were most of the Jedi, including Obi-Wan, who had just that day been granted the level of Jedi Knight by the High Council.

The flames licked at Qui-Gon's corpse, consuming his body as those he helped gathered to send him off to the next plain.

He had become one with the Force, Sabé knew from her studies at the Jedi Temple. To maintain one's form after death was an impossibility.

Most of those gathered around the enflamed corpse were those who had fought beside Qui-Gon during the battle, being members of the palace guard or handmaidens to the queen, as well as Padmé herself, then there were the Jedi , the Boss Nass and Jar Jar, and the Chancellor himself.

It was a surprisingly large group, but it was to be expected, after all, Qui-Gon's efforts –alongside his other fellow Jedi– had helped limit casualties in the battle.

Anakin tugged on Obi-Wan's long sleeve of his robe, jerking the newly-named Jedi Knight's attention from the pyre to the young boy.

"What will happen to me now?" he asked him, blue eyes imploring.

"The Council has granted me permission to train you," Obi-Wan said, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb anyone else focused on the ceremony. "You will be a Jedi, Anakin, I promise."

And the rest of the pyre burning was spent in silence, and once the fire had been snuffed out, they all stood to leave, and the members of the High Council gathered Qui-Gon's ashes in an urn.

"Planning on boarding the Republic cruiser?" Sabé asked conversationally at Obi-Wan's side as he tugged his new Padawan along by his side.

"Would there be any other way to return to Coruscant?" Obi-Wan replied with an arched eyebrow towards his friend.

Sabé nearly smirked. "Well, if you want to be crowded in with the High Council, senators, guards, and the Chancellor, by all means, go right on ahead."

"As opposed to the rust bucket that you arrived in?" Obi-Wan's voice was colored in amusement.

"_Oi!"_ Sabé pinched his arm and he was quick to jerk it out of her path. "You know what that 'rust bucket' has that that Republic cruiser doesn't?"

Obi-Wan could offer her no answer to that.

"_Privacy,"_ Sabé told him with a grin. "Now imagine Talik and I on a ship by ourselves, not bothered by politicians or elders of the Order…"

Talik smothered her giggles behind her hand and Obi-Wan's shoulders sagged, but he could see her point. He'd already had to recount the events leading up to Qui-Gon's death and the Sith's death for the Jedi, the last thing he wanted to do was have to tell it to politicians.

"When are you planning to leave?" he sighed as Anakin looked on in interest.

Sabé shrugged. "After the celebration, probably once the other ship leaves." The Republic cruiser was due to leave right after the parade for Gungans and the humanoid Nabooans would be having as a way to bring themselves together officially in a peaceful manner. But Sabé didn't want to linger too much, given her relation to Padmé and her devotion to the Jedi Code (the aspects of it that she agreed with).

"It's not going to breakdown in the middle of the jump to hyperspace, is it?" Obi-Wan asked suspiciously and Sabé scowled.

"You are aware, I hope, that Talik and I arrived here just fine?" she mentioned lightly and Obi-Wan lifted his hands in surrender.

They continued down the hallway in silence until they reached Talik and Sabé's room.

"It's a pity that Sith was killed," Sabé said, in the stead of bidding the two males goodnight.

Obi-Wan eyed her strangely, balking slightly in surprise at the statement. "A _pity?"_

Sabé gave a morose sigh that made it difficult for him to ascertain if she was being serious. "Yeah, I wanted to know what he did with my arm." She appeared remarkably put out that he hadn't been able to question the Sith before he had ended up killing him. Then she winked at him. "Goodnight, Obi-Wan, Anakin, see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Anakin chirped from Obi-Wan's side.

Obi-Wan just shook his head at his fellow Jedi Knight; Sometimes Obi-Wan just didn't understand Sabé Amidala.

**AN: The Anakin-Talik dynamic is something I'm looking forward to writing, because those two are going to be besties, both of them understanding the burden of being so young and already being apprenticed to the master while the other Initiates are not so lucky.**

**Their friendship will also give Sabe and Obi-Wan an excuse to hang out, if they ever needed an excuse *wink, wink***

**Lots of Jedi missions to come. Sadly, its going to be awhile until Obi-Wan actually starts to fall a bit in love with Sabe (and poor Sabe who's head over heels and never gives any indication of that in his presence...). But there'll be some great stuff in there, I promise.**

**I'm not sure when the next update will be, maybe you'll get another one before the year is up, maybe not. We'll just see how long I stay obsessed with Star Wars.**

**I've also entered into a writing contest on inkitt for Star Wars with this fic, and if you're on there, I'd love a like to move me up on the scale!**

**As always, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	12. Into Hyperspace

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Twelve: Into Hyperspace**

**AN: Haha, look, another update, aren't you all lucky? I still blame Obi-Wan for this obsession…I need more Star Wars books, because I'm starting to quote the movies word for word… and I did buy the novelization for the first three movies, because I'm still completely obsessed *cackles***

**I feel that the next few chapters will focus more on Sabé and Talik, as they're more central to the plot right now than Obi-Wan and Anakin, though Anakin will be popping up quite a bit, being Talik's best friend. You'll probably see more Aayla and Kit when the group finally gets back to Coruscant.**

**And Merry Christmas! I had planned to update this yesterday, so it's a little late for Christmas, but not too late, so I hope you're all having a great holiday!**

* * *

Padmé came to see Sabé right before they were due to leave, still dressed in the white and pink gown that she had worn to the parade.

Her younger sister smiled and it made the painted Scar of Remembrance on her lips more obvious. "I can't even compare to you," the young queen joked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sabé responded. "You look radiant." And she did, with very light face paint that couldn't hide her face as opposed to the usual.

Padmé smiled broadly before her lips thinned into a line. "Do you really have to leave so soon? You must be exhausted from all that's happened."

Sabé seemed remarkably unconcerned. "I can rest when we're back on Coruscant again…It's likely that the Council won't give us another mission for a short while, or, they won't give me one with Talik for awhile."

There were several things she wanted her Padawan to work on before their next mission.

"I'll miss you," Padmé said, her eyes sad.

Sabé said nothing to that. What could she? She knew she would, even though attachment was forbidden by the Jedi Code.

Padmé tried to memorize her sister as she was standing before her. Her dark braids pinned back, her cheeks rosy and her eyes bright, her lightsabers hanging on each side of her waist. Sabé nearly seemed to be drowning in darkly colored materials, but that, Padmé rather thought, suited her.

Her elder sister raised a hand to cup her cheek and Padmé leaned into the touch.

"Mother and Father would have been glad to see you at the celebration," she told her softly, but Sabé shook her head.

"Your world and mine are very separate, little sister," Sabé said, a line appearing between her eyebrows that told Padmé she didn't necessarily agree with that reasoning behind the thought. "I don't think Sola would have appreciated my presence."

Padmé grimaced, but she couldn't deny the truth of that. "She'll come around."

"Doubtful," Sabé muttered. "But it matters not." Well, it stung her a little, but she didn't have the power to alter one's opinion of her, and it certainly wasn't a power she had ever wanted.

"I'm proud," Padmé told her anyways.

"Of what?" The Jedi asked, flummoxed.

"I'm proud to be the sister of a great Jedi," Padmé said and Sabé's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "No matter what Sola thinks…I think you make a wonderful Jedi."

Sabé's words caught in her throat. Whatever she had been expecting from Padmé, it was not that. And she leaned down to press a kiss to Padmé's lightly painted brow.

Padmé blinked furiously when Sabé stepped back. "Thank you," Sabé said simply, but her smile and the shine in her eyes made it anything but simple.

"I also have something for you," Padmé told her, drawing her hands up to hold out a small wooden box to her sister and Sabé eyed it suspiciously, which only made her laugh. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad."

Sabé took the box, opening it to see what was within and then she lifted it out in confusion. "What's this?"

It was a bead that was crimson and carved into the likeness of a rose.

"The Naboo's Red Rose," Padmé replied. "For what you have done for us."

"I don't suppose you've got one for the others, do you? Because I happen to know that Obi-Wan looks _gorgeous_ with a bead in his hair."

And laughter filled the air at that as Padmé tried to imagine Obi-Wan Kenobi, with his short hair and no braid (it had been cut off shortly after the High Council's arrival on Naboo and Padmé remembered Sabé mentioning that the thin braid was something a Padawan learner wore up until they became Knights) with a rose-bead twisted into his auburn strands.

"Well, the color does suit him," Padmé managed to finally get past her lips.

"You aren't wrong," Sabé had to agree, still smiling as she replaced the bead into the box, shutting it and tucking it into her leather jerkin. "Thank you…we will see each other again, I'm sure," she said and Padmé couldn't help but admire the certainty her elder sister's voice held.

And then Padmé enveloped Sabé in a hug that Sabé couldn't help but return.

"Goodbye," the younger of the two said with eyes sparkling when she relinquished her grip on Sabé to permit her to enter into the starship, the ramp ascending once she'd mounted it.

Sabé pulled off her cloak before she made her way into the cockpit, finding it a bit cumbersome in flight, and she arched an eyebrow to the one sitting in the co-pilot's seat.

"I suppose you're to be my co-pilot?" she asked Anakin who grinned widely.

"Yup!" he said cheerfully as Sabé pulled out a comm. unit, fixing it on her head with the small mic resting near her mouth and she handed him one to put on.

"Obi-Wan, Talik, you both situated?" Sabé's voice came over the comm. system.

"Fine," Obi-Wan's voice came.

"Ready for takeoff," Talik chirped.

"It might be a little bumpy, but hang on to something…and make sure Arthree doesn't roll around too much."

And angry beep followed her words and Anakin giggled.

"Pipe down, Arthree, you know it's true!" Sabé admonished before flipping the button that had turned the comm. system on, so that it was off again. "Here we go…grab that clutch, you're going to help me keep her steady."

He was a bit too eager in his task, but Sabé had to remind herself that this was a boy that had podraced back on Tatooine.

The engines fired and within moments they were soaring up into the open sky before leaving Naboo's atmosphere entirely.

"Then we input the coordinates for Coruscant," Sabé said, more to Anakin that to anyone else as she pressed a few buttons near the controls. "And then we make the jump to Hyperspace."

"Can I do it?" Anakin asked eagerly, his blue eyes lighting up.

"All right," Sabé said, her lips curling in amusement. "Here's the lever, just push it forward and it'll take us into Hyperspace."

"Fast?"

"I'm not sure the ship could handle that," Sabé remarked dryly. She may have liked the class of the ship that Silon had been kind enough to lend her, but she was sure the ship was in need of a bit more repairs that the Nabooans had given it. "Slowly, so we don't lose any parts of the ship, all right?"

He bobbed his head in agreement before grasping the lever and pushing it forward until it could go no further and the ship surged forward into Hyperspace, but once it was inside, the craft stabilized.

Though Hyperspace made traveling between planets and differing systems shorter, it was still hours at the least between two, sometimes days if the distance was greater, and Sabé and those in the ship had another eight hours ahead of them before they could reach Coruscant.

"What kind of ship is this?" Anakin asked.

"A Corellian class YT-1300f light freighter," Sabé said with an air of reciting information.

"What's it called?"

"The Millennium Falcon."

"_Cool!"_ Anakin said in awe, gazing around the cockpit in awe. "Did the Jedi give you this?"

Sabé coughed in discreetly. "Ah, no, this is a loan from a friend."

Anakin opened his mouth to ask another probing question, no doubt, but he was stalled the sound of a body colliding with something metallic, followed by a rather undignified yelp of pain.

"And that'll be Obi-Wan falling into one of the smuggler holds," Sabé muttered with an exasperated sigh as Anakin stared at her before she flipped the comm. system back on. "Are you all right, Obi-Wan?"

"Smuggler holds? Really?" came the Jedi's grumbling reply. "What kind of ship is this?"

"One that occasionally smuggles," Sabé replied, unperturbed by the level of illegal activities that occurred on the ship, which was probably why Silon had leant it to her in the first place; if it was seen flying for something legitimate, such as a Jedi mission, then it would be less suspect for illegal activity.

And Sabé couldn't really fault the logic at that; Silon, after all, was first and foremost a businessman.

* * *

Obi-Wan pulled himself out of the smuggler hold without much difficulty, shaking his head in exasperation at the thought of his friend borrowing a smuggling ship. But sometimes it wasn't best to apply logic to the situation; Sabé was known for taking what she was given and offering no complaints.

A mission with no escape plan? No problem.

Need a ship fixed under a time limit? No problem. (Though, it would be a little on the shoddy side.)

He replaced the plating over the floor, making his way towards the cockpit, pausing before he got too close.

"Something's bothering you," Sabé mentioned lightly, flicking the autopilot switch on her left side. "You're practically radiating it."

He could feel it too, like Anakin was vibrating.

"Is it Obi-Wan?" she asked and the young man in question froze.

"He's…intense," Anakin said after a few moments of silence to gather his thoughts.

Humor bubbled off Sabé and he could imagine her brown eyes glinting as she smiled. "Yes, he can be sometimes...I think his master thought that about him sometimes, too."

"Mister Qui-Gon did?" Anakin asked in surprise.

Obi-Wan peered around the corner to look to where the two were sitting and Sabé glanced to the boy in contemplation, considering what she should tell him.

"Obi-Wan didn't exactly have an easy time as a Padawan or even before that," she said finally, "but he worked hard and his efforts were not in vain."

Anakin was confused, so Sabé elaborated.

"Master Jinn didn't originally choose Obi-Wan as his student…I think he thought Obi-Wan dueled with too much aggression, or maybe it was that Obi-Wan was too like his old apprentice…but Obi-Wan ended up as his apprentice one way or another when he was halfway to AgriCorps, no less…and then Obi-Wan left the Order for a time."

"He _left?"_ Anakin asked stunned.

"There were kids he wanted to help, and he couldn't do so as the Jedi Padawan to Qui-Gon Jinn," Sabé said with a small shrug. "And when he returned it wasn't to open arms. Obi-Wan had to be very careful about what he did; the Jedi Order was watching him to make sure he didn't up and leave again. He worked hard to prove his loyalty to the Jedi Code."

Obi-Wan could practically hear Anakin's thoughts through their fledging bond.

_Someone like Obi-Wan Kenobi breaking rules? But he seemed so uptight…_

Obi-Wan shifted the weight from one foot to the next.

"_The boy is dangerous, Master, the others sense it, why can't you?"_

With the lack of mental shields, Sabé heard Anakin's recollection of Obi-Wan's words spoken to his master before their return to Naboo.

"He thinks I'm dangerous," Anakin said sullenly.

"Most Jedi will," Sabé replied, "they did with me."

_Sabé stood before them, anxiety coursing through her veins, no matter how the Force tried to soothe her nerves. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes were bright, braids tumbling over her shoulders as she stood resolutely before the Council._

_She lost count how many times one of them watched her during the parts of her lessons that could be observed. The expression those Masters seemed to wear included knotted brows and downward twisted lips._

"_Initiate Amidala has shown nothing but adequate performance."_

"_She is still a danger."_

_The Force vibrated and Sabé breathed in sharply. Force, give me strength, she silently prayed when Yoda jolted her out of her thoughts._

"_Knew watching her, we were," he spoke, aged eyes flitting towards Sabé, "kept her abilities hidden, she did."_

_Sabé swallowed._

"_Strong in the force, she is. Dangerous only to some. A great Jedi, I sense she will be." _

"They did?" Anakin asked, jerking her attention back to the present.

"You and I have the highest midi-chlorian counts that the Jedi had seen, higher than those on the High Council, and…" Sabé's lips thinned into a line. "We are the only two that are part of prophecies. For that, we are set apart, we are dangerous to some, and that is fine."

"It's _fine?"_ Anakin spluttered. "How is it _fine?"_

"Because being a part of a prophecy, having as many midi-chlorians that we do, it doesn't change anything," Sabé said, her eyes steely as they rested on Anakin's. "In the end we are still Sabé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, and that's all that matters."

Her words washed over him and Anakin felt his anxiety lessen to be replaced with calm.

"And, if it counts for anything," Sabé said, "I think Obi-Wan will be a wonderful master to you."

"You think so?" Anakin tried not to make his voice so small, but he wasn't sure it came out right.

"Obi-Wan sacrificed a lot in order to take you as his student, a request his master gave him with his dying breath." Anakin could practically feel the rebuke. "Jedi Knights aren't expected to take on students immediately after making Knighthood, but he knew that you would be returned to Tatooine where your potential would be wasted. So he took you on, even when he was still grieving for the master he lost."

Sabé did not sense Obi-Wan's thoughts from around the corner as he exhaled a sharp breath of his own.

"Obi-Wan is clever and strong…he's the first Jedi in a long time to take down a Sith, especially on his own…less skilled Jedi have lost limbs to that Zebrak."

Anakin's eyes drifted to the glove that hid her metallic limb.

Sabé turned the comm. system on once more. "Talik, how do you feel about taking the wheel for awhile?"

"Coming!" came the short call before Sabé switched it off and Talik's footsteps thudded until she reached the cockpit, rushing past Obi-Wan, not bothering to question why he was hovering there in the first place.

"I'm just going to sit about, aren't I?" Talik asked with a sigh as Sabé left the pilot seat.

"That is a great deal that is done when the ship is on autopilot, yes," Sabé replied, faintly amused. "Send word if anything out of the ordinary happens."

"What're the chances of that?" Talik muttered, quailing at the firm stare her master gave her in return, for which she amended meekly, "Yes, Master."

Sabé nodded approvingly as she stepped out of the cockpit, rounding the corner, startled to find Obi-Wan standing there, leaning against the ship's rough wall.

Heat flooded to her face and Obi-Wan wasn't quite sure he had even seen the Nabooan female quite so flustered.

"Heard that, did you?" she asked as they walked through the ship towards the commons area.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Sometimes it can't be helped," Sabé said with a small smile. "It's fine, really."

"I didn't know that you thought all that about me," Obi-Wan mentioned lightly, the thought making him feel a little warm. Flattered didn't feel like the right word, but he wasn't sure what else would fit.

Sabé tugged on the end of one of her braids. "I always think highly of my friends," she said, meeting his eyes with ease and Obi-Wan tried to read the emotion within the depths of her brown orbs to little avail. "And I'm not wrong…very few Jedi can say they've gone against a Sith and won."

That was true, but Obi-Wan was sure that he had had a bit of luck on his side as well. The Sith had fought Qui-Gon first and Obi-Wan had taken him by surprise when he'd leapt up from the input nozzle he'd been clinging to, summoning his master's 'saber to his hand in a single movement.

"But you did fight against him once."

Sabé's eyes drifted and her exposed hand moved to smooth over the leather glove. "That was years ago," she murmured, more to herself than to Obi-Wan, before her eyes cleared and she released her arm. "My skill in Jar'Kai wasn't that great back then."

She wouldn't go so far as to call herself a master in the art, but she had come a long way from where she first began. And she was forever grateful to Jedi Knight Keelyvine Reus for seeing her aptitude towards Jar'Kai and giving up her time to train her with the permission of Yoda.

There were so few in the Order that actually utilized the style that Keelyvine had made it her personal duty to teach Sabé, who was only a few years younger than her. Keelyvine was very stern and focused on the art, and Sabé had sought to emulate her in that aspect, but she wasn't nearly like her in the slightest; she was far too easygoing.

"Besides…he didn't want to kill me," Sabé continued, frowning thoughtfully. "I think all he wanted was that arm."

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked flummoxed.

At that time, Sabé had been a simple Padawan, even if she was a part of a prophecy and the Padawan to the Grandmaster.

"I have no idea," Sabé said, pinching the bridge of her nose as she did so. The events around her investigation at the Works had always seemed a bit odd and the fact that the Sith had known her true name, left her alive, and took her arm were far too many confusing circumstances.

There was a loud echoing beep as Talik switched the comm. system on. "Master, you might want to get back up here, we're getting a transmission."

Both Jedi were moving towards the cockpit in time for Talik to climb out of her seat so that Sabé could take it once more.

"A transmission?" she asked, pressing a few buttons near the clutch. "What kind?"

"We're not sure," Talik said, glancing to Anakin who gave his own shrug. "It seems a bit jumbled."

"Arthree, get up here," Sabé called through the comm. system and the R3 unit gave a whirring beep before making his way towards where they were all gathered. "Plug in and see if you can decipher this for us."

Arthree beeped again and Sabé rolled her eyes as he extended his computer interface arm, sorting the data in a manner that had both Jedi Knights leaning forward.

"That can't be right," Obi-Wan said, "that's the frequency that Jedi use!"

"And it's coming from the Hoth system," Sabé said in equal surprise. "Arthree, can you narrow it down to which planet?"

Arthree gave a succinct reply.

"Not without taking us out of hyperspace…" Sabé grimaced. "All right, here's what we should do…"

* * *

"Master Windu?"

Mace Windu opened his eyes to look to one of the co-pilots of the cruiser he and the other members of the Jedi Council had boarded with the new Chancellor.

"Yes?" he said smoothly.

"There's a transmission for you from Knight Amidala on the bridge."

Surprise lifted the Master's eyebrows high on his forehead. He knew Grandmaster Yoda's Padawan had few allies on the Council, but she was a forward thinker who questioned as much as she complied and did her missions to the best of her abilities, so she had his trust. But he was surprised that she hadn't asked for Master Yoda…though she had probably known, rightly, that he'd be deep in meditation.

So he stood and followed the co-pilot up to the bridge where the seat image of Sabé Amidala in a wavering blue hologram could be found.

"_Master Windu,"_ she said with a polite inclination of her head, _"I wouldn't have sent this transmission if I didn't think it was urgent."_

"What is it, Knight Amidala?" he asked directly and Sabé glanced out of the frame, to Obi-Wan Kenobi, no doubt.

"_We are currently traveling at Hyperspace and have picked up a transmission from the Hoth System."_

Mace made a gesture with his hand as if to say 'and this is a matter of importance, why?'

"_It was transmitted via the frequency that the Jedi use,"_ Sabé continued.

Now that was something Mace could consider to be something of high importance.

"_Are there any Jedi currently located in the Hoth System?"_ Sabé pressed, her holographic image wavering again.

"I couldn't say," Mace said, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "There are just too many Jedi to consider…do you know which planet the frequency is originating from?"

"_Not without dropping out of Hyperspace, Master_," Sabé said. _"Do you want us to investigate the origination of the frequency?"_

He knew they would have been happier to simply return to the Temple first; the mission to Naboo had taken longer than they had originally thought and he was sure they would all be happy to sleep in their own beds for a change.

But…

"Yes, Knight Amidala," he said and Sabé didn't even blink, having expected that response to start with. "If someone is using that frequency outside the Order, we need to know."

"_We'll report back when we've found something,"_ Sabé promised before cutting the feed.

* * *

"All right, looks like we're going to have to take a detour," Sabé said. "Hang on, forcibly dropping out of Hyperspace is a bit jolting."

And that was all the warning she gave as she dragged the throttle down.

Jolting wasn't the word that Obi-Wan would have used. Talik flew back to tumble against the floor's plating, nearly following Obi-Wan's previous example by falling into a smuggler hold, but Obi-Wan had the sense enough to grasp the back of Sabé's seat. The only ones who jolted were Sabé and Anakin safe in their seats.

"I hate flying with you," Obi-Wan decided as his head spun and dull throbbing making itself known.

Sabé gave him a small smirk before turning her attention towards Arthree (who had been saved from Talik's fate by magnetizing himself to the cockpit wall). "Arthree, can you tell which planet in the Hoth System that frequency is originating from?"

Arthree cancelled his magnetization in order to connect to the computer once more after a few tense moments he beeped a reply as Talik finally returned to their sides.

"Hoth," Sabé translated for the others.

"But Hoth is uninhabited," Obi-Wan said once his ears had stopped ringing, "who could be transmitting from there?"

"Maybe someone crash-landed?" Sabé suggested. "It could be one of ours."

"It could be an enemy," Obi-Wan countered.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to find out, then, won't we?"

Anakin and Talik looked from master to master. Talik didn't like the daring look in her master's eye and she could tell the Obi-Wan didn't either.

"Are we going?" Anakin piped up.

Sabé arched an eyebrow at Obi-Wan and he sighed. "It is what Master Windu asked of us…but I still have a bad feeling about this."

Talik rolled her eyes for good measure. "Jedi Knights and their bad feelings," she muttered in exasperation.

"Setting coordinates for Hoth," Sabé said, ignoring her, nodding to Anakin. "Punch it."

And into Hyperspace they entered once more, though going in a completely opposite direction than before and with uncertainty ahead of them.

**AN: What lies in store on Hoth? Who is transmitting on the Jedi frequency? All will be revealed soon! Hopefully there's another update before 2016, but I make no promises other than I will try my hardest to get at least one chapter out before I go back to school on January 17.**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	13. Trouble With Wampas

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Thirteen: Trouble With Wampas**

**AN: This chapter probably would have been up sooner, but my house had no heat or electricity or wifi for four days due to an ice storm. And I was more preoccupied with not freezing to death than writing this chapter.**

**Surprisingly, the chapter got a little long…I guess it just got away from me, but I knew where I wanted it to end, so, ah well. Personally, I blame The Jedi Path: A Manual For Students of the Force that I got a few days ago (for research, obviously)…**

**I guess you can think of it as a New Years Day gift, just a little bit late. Enjoy!**

* * *

Hoth was colder than Sith, that much Garen Muln had come to realize when he'd crash-landed on the icy world after the completion of his mission.

Garen would have preferred any other planet in the universe, any other one that didn't nearly freeze you to the core while you slept. He probably would have been long dead by now if he hadn't found a way to insulate his broken ship from the cold.

It was all he could to keep himself from freezing and keeping the transmission going.

But who would be looking for him? He had finished his mission two weeks early and no one had any idea where he was…

However, an aggressive hit to the back of his head stopped those thoughts right there.

* * *

"It looks really…_blue_," Talik decided when they came out of Hyperspace, staring at the planet they would soon be landing on.

"Is it a water-world?" Anakin asked in fascination and Sabé was pleased that he looked to Obi-Wan with an eager light in his eyes.

Obi-Wan dropped a hand lightly to his shoulder, amusement brushing across his lips. "I'm afraid not, Hoth is a planet of ice and snow."

Anakin recoiled in surprise. _"Ice?"_ He said, aghast. He had, after all, grown up on Tatooine where ice was a rarity and water existed in very small amounts.

"We're going down," Sabé mentioned, directing her clutch downwards so suddenly that they all pitched forward with the ship.

"_Slower!"_ Obi-Wan yelped, but Sabé ignored him.

"Anakin, hold us steady," she said as the _Millennium Falcon_ hovered over the snow and ice and Anakin complied to her command as Sabé lowered them little by little until they skidded across the ice, which was a bit unnerving given they didn't really have a way of stopping the ship manually, but it didn't matter, as it came to a halt a second later.

Then Sabé was lurching to her feet, pulling herself out of the cockpit and searching for a compartment that could possibly house coats against the cold.

Lucky for them, it seemed the last time the _Falcon_ had been in use it had been quite cold, though she suspected that it might have been a precaution on Silon's part.

She pulled on a crisp beige coat before hitting the button that lowered the ramp, and while she had known that Hoth was cold before the ramp had descended, Sabé hadn't been quite prepared for just how cold it was.

Frigid wind whipped at her braids and seared across her cheeks. She raised a hand to shade her eyes as she looked out on the white turf, snow and ice as far as the eye could see.

Footsteps followed her to stand at her side and Sabé looked to see that Obi-Wan had discovered the electrobinoculars and reproached herself briefly for not thinking of them first.

"See anything?" she prompted.

Talik and Anakin had followed him and Sabé could feel Anakin quaking in the cold, and, though it affected Talik, she was less obvious about it.

Obi-Wan fiddled with the knob on the side that allowed the lens to zoom in and out, stepping out of the shade of the ship in order to get a full view.

Unfortunately, it also gave the group a similarity towards a mother duck and her ducklings (animals that were prone to planets like Naboo) as Sabé, Talik, and Anakin followed Obi-Wan.

"There's something over the next ridge," he said finally, "it seems to be the only thing out of ordinary."

He handed her the electrobinoculars as she muttered "But who can say what is ordinary on an icy rock like this?"

He spared her a smile, hearing her words, missing the flush of her cheeks in the pink that had been brought on by the cold, and for that Sabé was grateful. Her shields were, for the most part, impenetrable and unreadable with her thoughts only capable of being read by what appeared of them on her face, but there were times when her shields had to be lowered, like for the bond she shared with Talik, and there were times when Obi-Wan simply caught her off guard.

"Talik and Anakin will stay with the ship," Sabé decided and Obi-Wan concurred with a nod.

"Aw, _c'mon!"_

"Master! I can help!"

Both Jedi Knights were faced with two pint-sized Padawans each with eyes holding an eager light.

"I think that would be best," Obi-Wan agreed.

The grumbled complaints from both were humorous to say the least; Sabé suspected that the Tatooine-born lad was rubbing off on Talik.

"We might need to contact you on the comm.-link so keep it handy," Sabé mentioned, pulling her hood up against the wind, tucking the multitude of braids inside and pulling the attached goggles over her eyes and gesturing towards Obi-Wan, ready to make in the direction he had previously indicated.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan said, his words nearly lost to the wind, but Sabé heard him well enough, humming in agreement.

There was something odd about the atmosphere, and it didn't take a Jedi Initiate to see it. The Force was thick around them in a confusing haze.

"There was a battle fought here during the Great Galactic War," Sabé told him. "The Sith gained ground over the Republic for a time."

Obi-Wan knew better than to question Sabé's knowledge of the old wars with the Sith. There weren't many who chose to study the Sith or the Dark Side, but Sabé was definitely one of the more knowledgeable in the subject. Despite being a Jedi Guardian and working on her skill with her lightsabers and the utilization of the Force, no one could deny Sabé's skills that fell under the Jedi Sentinel's occupation of Jedi Shadow which was the title bestowed upon those who dealt more with infiltration, seeking out and destroying artifacts of Sith origin.

It was a source of great irony to those who knew her that Sabé had chosen the path of Jedi Guardian despite being so well suited as a Jedi Sentinel, but the Jedi was content to be as she was, which happened to be having a difficult time being categorized (something which amused her to no end).

"It's possible we are sensing the residual effects of the Sith's use of the Dark Side of the Force," Sabé continued, a frown on her lips. To Obi-Wan's surprise, she took his arm, gripping it tightly through the bulky material of the jacket. "Give me a moment…"

"I can help," Obi-Wan offered as she raised her arm.

"I have more experience with the Dark Side," Sabé countered swiftly, her smile wry. "Besides…it might be best to just leave it be."

Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow. "If a cloud of the Force is present long after the Great Galactic War has passed, wouldn't you consider that a bit concerning?"

"I would," Sabé said, faintly amused, "but it appears to be naturally abating…so perhaps it would be best to leave it as it is, seeing as we're here only in an investigative capacity."

She released his arm and they continued on, and if she noticed how he had glanced to her out of the corner of his eye, a bemused expression on his face, she gave no indication.

Obi-Wan was always left a bit confused about Sabé Amidala as well as how the Force sometimes had a habit of humming around them when they were in close proximity. It seemed that Sabé didn't even notice it, or perhaps she was so used to the presence of the Force that its light fluctuations didn't garner her attention, but it had long since befuddled Obi-Wan. He had never mentioned it to Sabé, or anyone else for that matter, for fear that he was grossly misinterpreting the Force. And Sabé had always been so comfortable with the Force…

He lifted the electrobinoculars back to his eyes, allowing Sabé to steer him carefully as he looked for signs of any beacon of some kind that could be using the frequency that the Jedi preferred.

"I'm seeing scorch marks on the tundra ahead," Obi-Wan said finally, "it looks like something –a craft of some sort– skidded before crashing…it must be nearby."

Sabé hummed in agreement, climbing carefully over the mound of snow before them that was slick from the ice. Hoth, she imagined, must have been quite a difficult planet to live on. She didn't know much about it other than the basics: the system it belonged to, the other planets within its system, what kind of planet it was, and if it had any importance to the Jedi. But Sabé couldn't imagine all that many animals could have survived in the intense cold.

Either way, she didn't want to stay on the planet for longer than was necessary.

Her boots slipped a little as they continued the climb, which made her fall back against Obi-Wan, nearly making him skid a bit in alarm, reaching out a hand to Sabé's back to steady her, and Sabé couldn't help but flush with embarrassment.

_I am never going to a planet of ice again,_ she decided.

"Are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked, confused by her silence and her immobility.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine," Sabé said quickly, shaking her head to clear it of the thoughts before beginning again.

The descent was smoother than the ascent and Sabé couldn't help but be grateful, though she still moved on cautious feet towards the skid marks.

Obi-Wan knelt and Sabé looked around for anything or anyone that could have come to inspect the marks before them.

"These appear to be fresh," Obi-Wan murmured a few moments later. "A day or two ago at the most."

Sabé nodded, another frown on her lips and Obi-Wan wondered if that was the usual expression that she wore during missions; he had never been on any missions with her as Sabé had a tendency to lean towards missions with Kit Fisto and Aayla Secura.

"That way," she said, nodding towards a gaping cavern that appeared to be partially manmade through a crashing spacecraft.

Privately, Obi-Wan thought it was a bit more trouble than it was worth, as he followed Sabé's careful steps.

She dug the toes of her boots into the snow as she peered cautiously over the edge to look within the cave with Obi-Wan at her shoulder, both staring at the mangled ruin at what had once been a Jedi Starfighter, like the ones the Temple used for solo missions; Sabé was quite familiar with the Jedi Starfighters by now.

Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, recoiling in shock when he sensed the familiar Force-presence that had once been within the Starfighter.

"_Garen!"_ he breathed in surprise.

"Garen?" Sabé repeated. "Garen Muln?"

Sabé had had her own close-knit group of friends when she was young and Obi-Wan had had his own, and while Sabé and Obi-Wan were friends, their groups tended to remain apart.

"He must have passed the Trials while we were on Naboo," Sabé said to herself, but Obi-Wan corrected her.

"No, he passed the Trials back when you and Talik were still on Ryloth," he said. Sabé had been a bit busy during that time, and their time at the Temple between that mission and the one to Naboo had been quite short; Sabé had barely healed from her injuries.

"Ah." Sabé gave a short nod, her eyes trained on the wrecked Starfighter. "Shall we look and see if he's still alive?"

She didn't see how he could be with how mangled the Starfighter was, but Sabé and Talik had survived being shot out of the sky, so there was hope yet.

He made a noise of affirmation and they both moved forward as silently as they could manage with the snow crinkling under their feet.

Obi-Wan's fingers hooked into the cockpit's hood –the glass made opaque from smoke and cracks–, flipping it open and they both stepped back as the smoke billowed out, only to lean forward when it was clear and see that it was empty.

"He must have vacated after the crash," Sabé mused, pulling herself up into the cockpit seat, fiddling with the buttons, her brow creasing as she read the details the Starfighter's damaged computer could give her before shorting out. "It looks like he tried to boost the distress signal before the damages to the Starfighter forced him to abandon it."

Now Obi-Wan really had a bad feeling, and it only grew as he knelt down in the snow, the cold biting at his knees. "There's blood over here," he mentioned with a knot in his chest. But he released his fear focusing on the fact that Garen wasn't there so he had to be _somewhere…_

"It could've been the crash," Sabé said, pulling herself from the Starfighter and Obi-Wan offered his hand. Something flickered in her eyes before she gave him a small smile, taking his hand and dropping down beside him.

Obviously, Sabé could have done it herself –Obi-Wan felt a little stupid for offering– but perhaps it was because he had spent a great deal of time in the presence of Sabé's younger sister who was a queen and he'd offered her his hand more than once. Ironically, both sisters had given him the same smile.

Padmé, he privately thought, had been the one most like Sabé.

"Or something could have attacked him once he landed," Obi-Wan contemplated, raising a hand up to cup his chin, a thoughtful expression overtaking his face. "I don't know anything about the planet being inhabited, do you?"

Sabé shrugged sheepishly. "That had never been my major interest when learning about a planet." Though it was probably a good idea, now that she thought about it. "The blood trail goes that way," she added, nodding her head towards a tunnel in the snow and ice with sharp indentations from claws.

Obi-Wan made his way towards the hole, but Sabé stopped him with a single word: "_Wait!"_

He looked back and Sabé lifted a silver cylinder from the snow, palming the activation button so that a yellow blade flared to life.

Yellow gems weren't necessarily rare –it was the color often favored by Jedi Sentinels, after all– but it wasn't nearly as common as blue or green. It was harder to find those in the Order who used violet gems.

And yellow was the color of Garen's lightsaber.

"Is this his?" Sabé asked quietly, thumbing it off before handing it to him, despite knowing the answer full well.

Her eyes were fixed on his with a knowingness that she must have replicated from Yoda.

Obi-Wan took the lightsaber silently, clipping it to his belt and removing Qui-Gon's (his would need to be replaced, long since lost on Naboo, but until then, he would keep his old master's weapon), and action that Sabé echoed, though with only one of her lightsabers.

Sabé knew better than to light two lightsabers in a tunnel made of ice and snow.

The tunnel didn't go very far and both Jedi balked at what they saw within and Sabé thought it might be a good idea to invest in seeing what kind of animal-life planets had to offer.

It was clear when the tunnel ended that a creature had been what had befallen Garen as Obi-Wan and Sabé found their eyes fastened to the unconscious Jedi hanging from the top of the cavern, his feet stuck in ice there.

Sabé couldn't fathom how he'd even been stuck up there in the first place; surely water didn't freeze that fast on Hoth?

His face was ruddy from the blood flow being directed from his feet right to his head and there was blood across his chest and arm. Sabé couldn't tell if he was breathing but a sharp intake of breath from Obi-Wan said that he could and that there was reason for optimism.

It was the creature in the cavern that was of greater issue.

Sabé wasn't quite sure how to describe it. White, furry, with claws and teeth to be wary of? Whatever it was, it was safe to say that it wasn't the friendly type…especially since it seemed to be consuming some kind of meat that bled red when it sank its teeth into it.

She tried not to gag and Obi-Wan looked similarly repulsed.

And Garen just hung there, unmoving, and undoubtedly the creature's next meal.

Sabé and Obi-Wan hastily hid as the creature turned its head towards them.

"Plan?" Obi-Wan asked her as quietly as possible.

"Why is it always _me_ that comes up with a plan?" Sabé complained in a mutter and the flat stare he gave her was answer enough.

"Really, you have to ask?"

She glared, ducking around him to peer into the cavern again. The creature had resumed its dinner and had turned away, apparently not hearing them, which was better for them than it was for it.

Sabé narrowed her eyes. The best course of action appeared to be to have one person distract the creature while the other freed Garen. "All right, here's the plan…"

* * *

It was boring, Anakin soon discovered, sitting in the cockpit beside Talik who was picking absently at a ripped seam in her trousers. Talik may have learned a bit of patience from the Jedi, but Anakin was a very hyperactive individual; he needed to do something more often than not, and it was the thing that often had gotten him into trouble.

"Maybe we should go after them?" he suggested, exactly ten minutes after Sabé and Obi-Wan had left the _Millennium Falcon_.

"And do what?" Talik asked archly. "Master Sabé and Master Obi-Wan don't need our help; they're Jedi Knights, after all."

Anakin was very put out by her response, opting to slump in his chair instead, only to sit up, startled, a moment later, his eyes fastened on something through the reinforced glass. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" Talik asked, looking up from the small hole she had been picking at, frowning out of the glass, searching for whatever he had seen.

Then something white appeared through the glass with enough sharp teeth to startle both children, making them jerk back in their seats.

Anakin uttered a swear in Huttese and Talik called out "_Holy Kriff!"_

"What was _that?"_ she asked gaping, leaning back over the controls to get a clearer look, but the creature had gone.

"Dunno," Anakin said, looking just as startled, but far more interested.

Talik unclipped her lightsaber from her waist and pulled herself out of the seat, making towards the ramp.

"Where're you going?"

"I going to see if it's gone," Talik replied, which probably wasn't the best idea, given that of the two still on the ship, Talik was the only one with formal training and a lightsaber, but it was better than sitting around and doing nothing.

"I'm coming with," Anakin insisted, but Talik shook her head, an action that made her lekku swing around her head in agitation.

"No, stay here in case it comes back," Talik said. "I'm just going to check outside for a few minutes. I'll be back in no time."

The expression Anakin gave her was a cross somewhere between petulant and exasperated. Clearly being the one that had to stay behind was doing nothing for his patience.

Talik pressed the button that descended the ramp, squinting out into the brightness of the snow-capped tundra. There appeared to be nothing, at least, nothing that she could see.

"_See anything?"_ Anakin's voice blared through the comm. system.

Talik pressed the button on the wall to reply. "It looks like whatever it was is gone now."

She could feel his disappointment coming off him in waves and she allowed herself a small smile; if it had been something, that would have been a bit more exciting than what they were doing.

But it seemed that whatever interest the creature had had in them was gone.

Talik returned her 'saber to her belt and turned to press the button again when something collided with her face, sending her to the icy ground, out cold.

"_Talik?"_ Anakin called cautiously over the comm. system. _"You there?"_

There the ship gave a lurch to the side, spinning on the ice precariously and Anakin had to hold tightly to his seat so as not to be jostled, but when the ship stopped spinning, Talik was still gone and Anakin had a very bad feeling.

* * *

They moved together, running out of the tunnel and into the smaller cavern, lightsabers alight like green and purple fire.

The creature gave roar as Obi-Wan leapt towards it, while Sabé moved to assist his friend.

Sabé jumped up, taking care not to slam into the roof of the cave as she swiped the 'saber through the ice that had trapped Garen against it and he fell as soon as he was released with an audible groan.

"Garen? Can you hear me?"

Sabé slapped his face lightly and he stirred, blinking a pair of blue eyes open to stare blankly at Sabe.

"You're alive," she said wryly, "that's good."

"Sabé Amidala," he said her name with a slurred quality that could have only been brought on from his blood loss, "I could just _kiss_ you!"

And before Sabé could say anything to stop him, he had leaned forward to lay one on her. Sabé, being who she was and having no romantic attachments (as per the Code, though with one incredibly troublesome attraction to a fellow Jedi), had never been kissed, and it was incredibly embarrassing to be so in front of the man she had feelings for.

"Is that really necessary?" Obi-Wan demanded, gaping at them with a long scrape down his arm and the creature howling in agony behind them from the slices he'd given it with the lightsaber.

Garen parted from her and Obi-Wan was faintly fascinated by just how red her face had turned, and it couldn't have been made plainer that she'd rather be anywhere but in that cavern with Obi-Wan and Garen.

"I would've kissed you, too, Obi-Wan," Garen said, reaching out his good hand for his friend and puckering his lips at him. "C'mere, Obi!"

Obi-Wan danced out of reach, but it was enough to make the color fade from Sabé's face and cause laughter to bubble from her lips.

"All right, Casanova," she said, rolling her eyes, "let's get you back to the ship before that creature decides to wreak vengeance on us for taking its next meal."

Garen grimaced. "Good point."

And they maneuvered his arms carefully over their shoulders, taking him out the way they had come in.

"Great parking job, though," Sabé mentioned as they passed the wreckage of Garen's ship.

"_Oi!"_ Garen hissed in pain with every movement, but there was no helping it; they'd situate him in the ship's infirmary when they got there. "I was falling out of the _sky!"_

"Well, you never were the best flier," Obi-Wan added and Garen swiveled to glare at him.

"Hey! What's with the tag-teaming?" Confusion overcame his features. "Wait…why are you guys together in the first place?"

Sabé's eyes colored in amusement. "Obi-Wan and his master were the backup for Talik and I when we were shot out of the sky on Naboo by the Trade Federation."

Garen looked her up and down. "You look pretty good for someone shot out of the sky."

Sabé arched an eyebrow. "That was nearly a week ago, Garen."

He nodded sagely, but Obi-Wan had the feeling that the blood loss was getting to him.

"The ship's just ahead," he added and Garen narrowed his eyes against the wind, focusing on the disk-shape that was the _Millennium Falcon._

"You came here in that thing?" he said blankly. "That hunk of junk?"

Obi-Wan laughed and Sabé glared at him over Garen's head. "That hunk of junk got us from Naboo to here, and it's going to take us from here to Coruscant, so, don't you _dare _complain about it."

Wisely, Garen chose to keep his mouth shut about the ship as they approached and the ramp descended to reveal Anakin in a puddle of nerves.

"You brought a youngling with you?" Garen said dubiously, staring at the Tatooine-born lad as if he'd never seen anything like him.

Immediately, the boy scowled at him. "I'm not a youngling, I'm a Padawan learner!"

"Of course," Garen said in the same voice as before, "and who's your master?"

"Master Obi-Wan is!"

Anakin's cheeks were pink and his hands were balled –it was adorable, really, he'd have to work a bit at being intimidating– and Obi-Wan felt his own face warm when the boy called him 'Master', a word he'd steadily avoided when speaking to or about Obi-Wan.

Garen gaped. "Just how long was I gone?"

The last he remembered, Obi-Wan was still the Padawan of Master Qui-Gon Jinn…when had he taken the Trials?

"Talik's gone missing," Anakin told Sabé, the worry etched on his face and Sabé stilled, the color leaving her face. "We saw this creature –I don't really know what it was– and she went to see if it was still hanging around the ship, and then she was gone!"

His blue eyes were large and wide and Sabé gritted her teeth together.

"Anakin," she said, "help Obi-Wan get Garen to the infirmary. I'll go find Talik."

And she removed Garen's arm from where it had been securely looped around her shoulders and before anyone could say anything different, she had turned and rushed back into the cold in search of her student.

* * *

When Talik awoke she found herself upside-down and her first thought was: _Don't tell me I fell asleep practicing telekinesis again?_

Sabé taught telekinesis the way Yoda had taught her, and Talik personally found it a bit more difficult than what they'd been taught in class, which made sense (Master had learned from the _Grandmaster,_ after all). It involved standing on your hands for an extended amount of time –usually with your master perched on your feet to add to the weight you were supposed to hold up– attempting to lift orbs of various weights into the air. Sabé had called the orbs 'stones' and Talik wasn't nearly as good as her master at keeping them in the air.

But when Talik opened her eyes, she remembered she wasn't on Coruscant, she was on Hoth, and her master wasn't here to save her, not like last time.

Her face ached, and so did the rest of her body, and the parts that didn't felt frostbitten; Talik really needed to get out of the cold.

The creature that had attacked her had its back to her, and that was very much preferred, especially since she didn't think much of its front, let alone its back.

She assessed herself, running her numb fingers up to her belt to find that her lightsaber was gone. Her teeth gritted together as she flopped her arms back down, shutting her eyes in time for the creature to swivel around to look at her.

Talik didn't know what she'd do if she lost her lightsaber.

Master was going to_ kill_ her.

"_What d'you think?" Talik asked her new master brightly as she held out her newly constructed 'saber to the Nabooan female who took it easily in her hands._

_Sabé's lightsabers, Talik knew, were elegant and light, with a grey grip on top of the sleek silver design. They were made in mind for her style of fighting, Jar'Kai; Sabé could not afford the extra weight that most others added to theirs with the type of lightsaber combat she had chosen to specialize in._

_Sabé twisted the hilt in her hand, thumbing it on so that an emerald blade flared to life._

_The way she'd swung and twisted the lightsaber had left Talik in awe but she wasn't quite sure if Jar'Kai was the style for her (managing two lightsabers at once seemed to be a bit of a trial)._

"_Very good," Sabé said finally, turning it off and kneeling before her, holding the 'saber out to her, a serious glint in her eye. "This lightsaber is your life, Talik, remember that. Though the Jedi are peacemakers by choice, we are sometimes put in impossible situations where violence is the only answer. And it is in those situations that I won't always be able to protect you; you'll need to protect yourself, that's how you learn."_

"_Yes, Master," Talik said._

Talik opened her eyes when the creature looked away again, searching for any hint of the lightsaber's light black-striped grip.

And there it was, lodged in the snow where the creature must have dragged her! It was just waiting to be called to her through the Force.

Talik closed her eyes, breathing in and out slowly, reaching within, embracing the Force…She had never been as good at utilizing the Force as her master, but she didn't need to move much, all she needed was that silver cylinder in her hand.

The lightsaber moved, seeming to almost tremble in the snow before flying up to be activated in Talik's hand and her eyes flashed open as she pulled herself up to slash at the ice around her feet, making her drop to the snowy ground.

At the sight of its prey getting loose, the creature gave a loud cry that would have startled Talik even if she wasn't in her current situation.

Talik jerked up to stand as best as she could, adrenaline pumping through her veins, slicing the creature's arm clean off as it lunged for her, and she didn't stay to listen to its screams, instead choosing to run off in search of a way out, clawing her way to the surface.

But outside of the cave was a snowstorm that was so thick that Talik could barely see what was in front of her.

Talik barely made it a few hundred feet before she collapsed from the cold.

* * *

"Talik!"

Sabé called her Padawan's name when she found her fallen form in the snow, the lavender shade of her skin starting to turn blue from the cold as Sabé knelt to move her onto her back, wincing at the cuts she could see.

But Talik was breathing, and that gave her hope.

"I've got you," Sabé promised, bracing the girl in her arms with one hand at her back and the other under her legs as she followed her steps back in the direction of the ship. "I've got you," she whispered, "you'll be all right."

But Talik, blissfully unconscious, heard none of that, only feeling the comforting warmth of her master's Force-presence.

**AN: Anyone recognize Talik's encounter with the Wampa? ;) I've been watching too much of Episode V, lately.**

**I guess the Wampas like Jedi, going off this chapter. I almost had Obi-Wan get nabbed, but thought, why not little Talik?**

**And the good news about the loss of power: I've come up with a great idea for a solo mission for Sabe, but I probably won't do it for awhile.**

**As always, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	14. Return to Coruscant

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Fourteen: Return to Coruscant**

**AN: To new followers, welcome! And to the person who said I made them ship Sobiwan, I'm really flattered, especially since this fic has barely begun.**

**On a side note, we've hit 50 reviews, so thanks for the love! **

**A special thank you to Windschatten for your review, it made me smile.**

**As always, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Is Talik going to be okay?" was the first thing out of Anakin's mouth once they entered Hyperspace once more to continue their journey to Coruscant.

Sabé flicked on the autopilot with a finger, frowning lightly. "She should be," Sabé said, "both of them should be."

Her eyes, which were usually bright, were dark and Anakin could see at least a dozen emotions swirling within their depths. He'd watched her and Obi-Wan paste the other Jedi and Talik with bacta patches before they'd taken off. Garen was far worse off, but there was nothing on the ship to help with his blood loss.

Sabé and Obi-Wan had done what they could with the supplies that were available, but both would have to spend some time in a bacta tank in order to recover completely.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she released the emotions roiling inside her to the Force.

_There is no emotion, there is peace,_ she thought, exhaling a breath and opening her eyes again.

"The Jedi Temple is setting aside two bacta tanks for Talik and Garen," she said before giving the boy a small smile, "I believe Talik will have no scars from her encounter." Though it was likely that Garen might have a few, given the deepness of his wounds.

Anakin nodded, the tension leaving his shoulders, and Sabé relaxed in the pilot's seat.

"Is Obi-Wan getting some rest?" she asked, turning in the seat to spread her awareness outwards, blanketing the ship as she sought him out.

"He said he was," Anakin said, though there was a dubious expression on his face that said he didn't quite believe his new master.

Sabé sighed. "It seems he's meditating." Sabé meditated as much as she could, yes, it was something she was particularly preferable to, especially when she was younger.

"Is that bad?" Anakin asked.

"Not necessarily," Sabé conceded, "but Obi-Wan is…he never liked meditation as much as, well, me."

But he had been doing a good bit of meditation lately. Sabé frowned; perhaps it had been brought on by Qui-Gon's death? It had only been a few days since the Knight's passing, and though sometimes it seemed as though he was unaffected, Sabé knew better.

"What's the Temple like?" Anakin asked, eyes bright with an interest that clearly could not be sated and Sabé –who could tell something was a distraction when she saw it– spared him a small smile.

"In what way?" she inquired.

"What was it like for you?" Anakin reiterated, his lips pulling nearly into a pout as he looked to her. "Growing up at the Jedi Temple?"

"It was…difficult," Sabé admitted, her thoughts clouding over her eyes. "Some days I felt like I was drowning."

"Really?" Anakin's eyes were wide as he listened. The way Obi-Wan had described the Temple, however briefly, to Anakin, it had always been with a note of fondness in his voice; clearly he enjoyed being there. "Why?"

"The Force complicated things for me," Sabé said, pulling out the rose-shaped bead that her sister had given her, pulling a braid around to undo it about a quarter of the way, spinning the bead into her hair before plaiting it once more. "I was very in tune to it…like it cloaked my person constantly…my dreams were intense. I sometimes felt like the Force was screaming at me."

She raised a hand to her temple, smoothing her fingers over it in a soothing circle, an action she had done almost constantly in her youth. Some of her fellow Initiates had thought it a nervous tick that showed when she was attempting to use the Force during class; it was almost amusing how wrong they were.

"All I wanted was quiet," Sabé sighed, "so, for a time, I cut myself completely off from the Force."

"You can do that?" Anakin goggled at her. He had never felt what she was describing, something akin to drowning, he had always found the Force as comforting as a blanket, if he had noticed it at all.

"It's not something I would recommend," Sabé replied dryly, her eyes looking out of the reinforced glass, but focusing on nothing in particular.

_"You're still pale," Aayla Secura told her best friend in accented Basic. "Maybe you should see a med droid."_

_Sabé blew a raspberry, sighing and grimacing at the pain of blocking her connection to the Force. The slow throb was increasing as the minutes dragged on and she soon found herself whimpering softly._

_Aayla's face appeared as a blue blur above her. "I'm getting Master Yoda; Kit stay with her."_

_A cool hand replaced hers, and a green blob took its place above her._

_"Does it hurt?" he asked. He didn't really need to, since her skin was so white it was almost grey, sweat drenching her skin, and tears leaking from her eyes. It was a very bad attempt to distract her they would both admit later._

_Sabé inhaled sharply, her grip on his hand strengthening. "Like you wouldn't believe," Sabé said through clenched teeth as she pressed her head further into her pillow, her free hand fisting the sheet beneath her._

_She cried out in pain suddenly, her body curling inward as a spasm of pain rocked through her._

_"Don't worry," Kit said, his voice filled with worry, "Master Yoda'll be here soon."_

_"Wonderful," she muttered, only jumping slightly as a claw-like hand pressed against her arm._

_"Let go, you must, Initiate Amidala, or death you will surely feel," Yoda spoke kindly to the child._

_Several different complex emotions clouded her irises. "It will destroy me, Master," she whispered. "Please don't ask me."_

_"Leads to the Dark Side, fear does," Yoda told her almost soothingly. "Seek to offer guidance, visions do, but only for those that listen."_

_Sabé's eyes slid shut and her carefully constructed mental wall broke. Behind her eyelids a multitude of images flashed, both the good and the bad; a girl who looked much like her with double-bladed red 'sabers, a young man with blue eyes and blonde hair laughing with an older Obi-Wan, Aayla becoming a member of the Jedi Council, Kit becoming a padawan...a pair of Sith-yellow eyes, a man in a hood cutting down younglings, Aayla taking a blaster shot to the chest, Kit being taken down by a red lightsaber. The emotions were overwhelming; pain, sorrow, love, hate, disgust, panic, fear, shame, happiness. And she took it all in, the Will of the Force, all that could come to pass, all that could be changed in a single instant…what _could be_. And she did not awaken for many days, and when she did, she would find a new braid in her hair, much smaller than her other ones, the braid of a padawan._

_"Chosen I have," Yoda told her as she slumbered, unaware of his presence, "my apprentice, you shall be."_

"It nearly killed me," she said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "My friend Aayla would say that the Force considered me too important so it beat against my shields until I broke them down…that the Force demanded my attention."

"But you don't?"

Sabé shrugged her shoulders. "I am no more important than the next Jedi. I could never imagine myself to be greater than my fellows."

And it was those words, perhaps more than several lessons that Obi-Wan tried to instill in his Padawan over the years, that Anakin would remember most clearly.

* * *

Sabé was back in the medical bay, replacing bacta patches when Obi-Wan left his meditation to meander to the same area.

"How are they?" he asked quietly, so as not to startle Sabé, but he needn't have bothered; she had sensed him long before he had spoken.

Her hand hovered over her Padawan's injured face, her eyes closed and her brow creased as she focused.

Force-healing had never been a specialty of hers and she preferred to leave healing to the professionals, which was to say the Jedi Healers. But, at least, she knew how to help the healing process a little, and she'd spent more energy on attempting to heal Garen's wounds than her own Padawan's.

"They're lucky," she spoke decisively as Obi-Wan came closer to check on his childhood friend, attempting to heal him in his own way, but he was about as good as Sabé, which was to say not very good. "If we had arrived an hour or two later its possible Garen would have been dead."

When she drew back her hand from her apprentice's forehead she was shaking, not from restrained emotion, but from the strain of force-healing.

"You're going to exhaust yourself," he couldn't help but remark.

She turned to give him a smile. "Well, what else am I supposed to do? The _Falcon_ won't be coming out of Hyperspace for a few more hours."

Anakin had gone off to catch a few hours of sleep, and Sabé couldn't really blame him; Hyperspace could be incredibly boring.

"Madam Jocasta Nu sent us a bit of information on Hoth," Sabé added, pulling out the spare datapad she had found in the commons area that she had loaded the information onto, handing it to Obi-Wan who accepted it with interest.

Jocasta Nu was an older Jedi –Madam was the preferred title for Jedi as opposed to Master– who was the chief librarian of the Jedi Archives. Sabé had seen a great deal of her when she was younger, as she'd spent a good deal of her time in the Jedi Archives. The older woman had once joked that Sabé would take her job from her.

"It seems the creatures that attacked Talik and Garen are called Wampas," Sabé continued as Obi-Wan's expression became a grimace as he read the information concerning the creatures that had delighted ripping into their fellows.

"Why couldn't an ice planet have less carnivorous creatures on it?" he sighed, and Sabé shrugged in reply, her eyes focusing on her Padawan's face. Obi-Wan could see Talik's eyes moving feverishly behind her shut eye lids.

Sabé squeezed the Twi'lek's hand with her own before turning back towards Obi-Wan. "Was there anything else you needed?"

He was struck by how tired she looked and his tongue was thick in his mouth as he tried to put the question into words that would leave his mouth. He didn't honestly know why he wanted to know the answer, it didn't really matter, Qui-Gon was already dead.

But…

And Sabé stared at him impassively, waiting for him to open his mouth.

"Did you dislike Qui-Gon?"

She had always been a bit stiff towards his master, referring to him as either 'Obi-Wan's master' or 'Master Jinn', never anything else, at least, never anything else in his presence. And Obi-Wan had always gotten the feeling like they were magnets of the same polarity, and thus preferred to be far away from one another.

Brown eyes blinked and then Sabé's shoulders sagged as she ambled slowly past him. "I'm tired, Obi-Wan, maybe lat—"

Obi-Wan reached out, his fingers catching her artificial ones, feeling the cool plating of metal and she turned back to meet his eyes, her own wide and startled, her cheeks pink. Obi-Wan considered letting her hand go right then, but the Force was _singing_ and he wanted to know.

"Please," he said, his eyes imploring her and after a moment of internal resistance, Sabé folded.

"I didn't necessarily dislike him," she corrected him, "but I didn't like him either." A small frown drew her lips down. "I felt he was far too reluctant to take on the Padawan that the Force wished of him. Master Yoda had to force him into a corner in order to get him to take you on…because of what happened with Xanatos."

"You blamed him for that?" Obi-Wan asked, perplexed.

But Sabé shook her head, her braids swinging. "Oh, Obi-Wan," she said sadly, "I blame him for _you,_ because I know you never could. Because you are too kind and too forgiving."

Obi-Wan looked on her in a new light, though it could hardly have been surprising; Sabé had a steadfast loyalty to those she called friend.

"Now, goodnight, Obi-Wan," she said, "I'm going to try to get some shut-eye."

And there was an air of finality in her voice that warned against crossing, so he released his grip on her hand and she swept out of them room.

He did not see how she held the hand close to her chest or hear how her heart fluttered.

* * *

Talik slept restlessly, though whether it was caused by her injuries remained to be seen. She didn't feel the pain whilst she slumbered, her thoughts drifting to where it had first begun for her at the Jedi Temple; when Sabé had taken her on as her Padawan learner.

"_I heard a Jedi Knight's going to be watching us in lightsaber class!" a gleeful Rodian said, bobbing on his feet excitedly at the prospect of gaining a master._

_If there was one thing that Initiates would fight for, it was the ability to be chosen to be a Jedi Knight's Padawan. If they weren't chosen by the time they were thirteen, they were to be shipped off to Jedi Service Corps; make it or break it, as the Initiates liked to say._

_But those in Talik's grouping were only ten. It was rare that they would gain a master at their age._

_A humanoid girl scoffed at the Rodian's words. "No one's coming to the class," she said, rolling her eyes and voicing Talik's thoughts. "We're ten! Rosii, no one takes on a ten year old Padawan!"_

"_Master Yoda did!"_

_There were murmurs following that, murmurs of agreement. Sabé Amidala was a topic of interest, especially to the Initiates. The Grandmaster didn't just pick anyone for his Padawan learner, and Sabé had the highest midi-chlorian count in the whole Temple!_

"_I heard Knight Amidala passed the Trial of the Flesh when she lost her arm to a Dark Jedi!"_

"_Idiot! It wasn't a Dark Jedi!"_

_Talik ignored her fellows, gathering her datapads together. Padawans were expected to complete several trials before they could be considered a full-fledged Jedi Knight, and the Trial of the Flesh tested one's ability to overcome great pain. Sabé Amidala had lost her arm and had to relearn her lightsaber skills with her cybernetic limb; Talik couldn't help but be awed by her resolve._

_And she was a practitioner of the twin-bladed style, Jar'Kai, of which Talik was sure there were only a handful in the Temple that practiced it actively._

_But she shoved those thoughts aside, replacing her datapads in her bag and rejoining her classmates._

_None of them could wait for lightsaber class to begin, but Talik focused on her own studies; if they wanted to act like fools during the class taught by Master Yoda, that was entirely up to them, but Talik wouldn't._

_And then the time for the class came around and Talik followed her fellows to the class, pausing briefly when she sensed a subtle presence fading into the shadows of the room, closer to the door than where they would be practicing. But then the presence vanished and Talik continued on._

_Talik very much doubted that Sabé Amidala was the presence sinking in the shadows, content to be unseen. The Nabooan female had only been made a Knight a few months back and she was hardly ever on Coruscant –or in the Temple, if rumors were to be believed, that she possessed an apartment paid in full by her birth-father whom she had met all of one time–, searching for artifacts of the Dark Side as Jedi Shadows did. _

_But the presence lodged in the back of Talik's mind, warm and comforting and rooting deep in her soul. Talik didn't know what to make of it, so she opted to focus on the sparring matches until Yoda had called her forward._

_She was sparring against a particularly aggressive humanoid male named T'Iedga with training 'sabers that were low powered enough to only sting if they hit against flesh._

"_Begin, you will!" Yoda said once they'd tied the blindfolds over their eyes and activated their 'sabers, positioning their bodies, preparing to begin._

_And then they rushed forward, unaware of the brown eyes following their movements, watching the Twi'lek as she moved through her forms, blocking and parrying despite the lack for sight._

_The girl had potential, and she was very strong in the Force, more noticeably than her other year-mates…and the way she called to Sabé…A smile twisted her lips as she watched the fight._

_Talik wasn't breathing nearly as hard as her opponent when they were stalled by Yoda, which went to show that her practicing the lightsaber forms on her own hadn't been a complete waste of time._

_They both drew the blindfolds from their eyes and Yoda made a gesture towards someone that none of the Initiates could see, and, to Talik's surprise, out of the shadows had stepped Sabé Amidala._

_Talik had never seen her in person; she had always been a shadow of rumors._

_Her brown hair was caught up in a multitude of plaits that seemed unlikely to unravel at any point in time. Her cloak was darker than the Jedi were known to wear, but it wasn't completely black, the same could be said for her tunic, leather jerkin, and trousers._

_The twin sabers hooked to her belt bounced as she walked and Talik's eyes fell to them, examining them silently with wide eyes. Sabé Amidala's lightsabers were odd in how they were nothing like any other lightsabers. The silvery hilts bore the pattern of leaves and flower petals, but beauty had no place on a weapon of practicality._

_Yet Sabé Amidala was a Jedi Guardian with proficient 'saber skill._

"_Master Yoda," Sabé Amidala said, giving her former master a reverent bow._

"_Knight Amidala," Yoda's eyes held a light glint that earned him a smile from his old Padawan who clearly knew his thoughts like the back of her hand._

_Organic or durasteel. Talik's eyes flickered towards the arm hidden by the thick black glove._

_And then Sabé Amidala's eyes were on her with such an intensity that Talik found herself rooted where she stood._

"_What is your name, Initiate?" Sabé asked and Talik could sense the jealousy bubbling in the air._

"_Talik Shala, Knight Amidala," Talik said, giving her a polite bow._

_Sabé Amidala considered her with a veil of interest that gave Talik the unsettling feeling that she was being tested._

_Then the Knight unclipped one of her 'sabers and held it out to Talik, whose eyes widened in surprise._

You doubt my skill,_ the words whispered in her mind and Talik knew they came from Sabé Amidala, even though her lips had not moved._

_Talik squared her jaw and gritted her teeth, an action that only served to amuse the Knight at the sight of the rebellious nature she was struggling to keep in check._

_And then Talik took the 'saber, stunned at the feel. While the hilt may have seemed simple or delicate, it had a grip to keep it from sliding out of its wielder's hands. She could feel the grip on the edge of the leaves that spun around hit and on the leaves veins. She could feel the activation button by its roughness, even if it was not clearly seen._

_She thumbed it on and a brilliant violet blade appeared, darker in color than Master Windu's._

My Padawan, you shall be_, the woman promised._

"Master!" Talik cried out in her slumber.

_I am here_, came the presence, warmth enveloping her, lips brushing against her brow like a mother's. And Talik fell into a deeper sleep, though more restful that it had been previously.

* * *

It was lucky the Jedi hangar was so large or Sabé wasn't entirely certain they would have made it in to land. Flying through traffic had been chaotic enough without having a place to land.

But Sabé expelled an audible sigh of relief once they'd touched down. Naboo had been nice, but Coruscant was her home, and at least at Coruscant she wasn't rushing around worried about battle droids or playing decoy to her younger sister by a good decade.

When the ramp had descended, a familiar form had climbed up it.

"Kenobi, Amidala," Master Vokara Che spoke with severity as she considered them both, "what chaos have you brought me?"

Vokara Che was the Chief Healer of the Jedi Temple and such was her prowess in healing that her name was spoken with reverence, even by those who found her a bit harsh and blunt. Sabé had lost count how many times she had ended up in the Temple infirmary and under her care (only to escape when she wasn't looking and be dragged back to her bed).

It showed just how worried both Sabé and Obi-Wan were that they didn't offer any remark to her blunt question, instead taking her inwards to where the two lay.

Vokara Che's lips thinned into a line as she took in the states of Garen Muln and Talik Shala, and then she took great care to have them removed from the ship as gently as possible.

"You've done what you can, now let us do the same," Vokara Che said diplomatically, her head-tails twitching in agitation as her gaze swept over them; Sabé pale from lack of sleep and Obi-Wan similarly tired, cradling his new Padawan in his arms as Anakin slumbered on.

"Sit down, girl," she added to Sabé, "you're about to keel over."

But Sabé took a few steps forward, her eyes focused on her Padawan's lavender form as she was taken away.

"Your Padawan is in capable hands," Vokara Che promised, grasping Sabé's arms tightly, her blue eyes earnest as they locked on Sabé's tired brown.

Obi-Wan wasn't sure why her grip was so tight until a moment later Sabé leaned her head forward, resting her chin on the Twi'lek's shoulder as her whole body sagged as though a weight had been lifted.

"Leave the healing to us," Vokara Che murmured with a note of fond exasperation towards her often most difficult patient before summoning another repulsorlift stretcher to bear away the exhausted Jedi Knight.

Then Vokara Che turned towards him and Obi-Wan took a step back, which was probably a wise decision.

Anakin mumbled something, curling his head more into his shoulder, his fingers digging into his master's tunic.

The Twi'lek's blue lips twitched faintly in amusement. "You'd better come along to."

And Obi-Wan, at least, knew better than to argue with Vokara Che.

So he followed the stretcher bearing his friend and with a warm weight on his arms, just grateful to be home.

**AN: So, everyone's back in one piece, yay! Vokara Che I find to be a bit like Madam Pomfrey and I only just read about her today from Wild Space (which had several lovely Obi-Wan-Anakin BROTP moments that I loved, because I'm all about their brotherly-ness).**

**What Sabé did when she was younger was actually similar to something I read about Ben Skywalker, who closed himself off from the Force because of the pain of the war at the time.**

**Sabé's lightsabers were drawn by the lovely Abyranss and can be found on my fanfic-related tumblr: greygryffindor dot tumblr dot com, above my terrible sketch that includes the symbolism behind her 'saber designs.**

**As always, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	15. A Padawan's Path

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Fifteen: A Padawan's Path**

**AN: This chapter, I believe, will be the last one of Anakin and Talik when they are ten, so that's exciting. **

**I see everyone's still enjoying how Sabé 's suffering in silence, my gods I don't know how that girl does it, but I'm all for it!**

**Subtle feelings for one another is what I live for. And one day there will be blatant Sobiwan in this fic.**

* * *

Talik was sluggish and confused as she came round.

_Where was she?_ The last thing she remembered with the frigid cold of Hoth, and then nothing, nothing since she'd stumbled out of that creature's den to freedom.

Talik would have preferred to remain in that blissful oblivion, but she could not simply sink back into the blackness.

So Talik blinked her eyes open, wincing at the artificial light bouncing off the walls, seeming so glaring to her eyes. It took her a moment to adjust to the light, and then she had to blink.

She was propped up by a number of pillows, on a medical bed that the medical ward of the Jedi Temple was known to stock (Talik had seen her master on enough of them to commit them to memory).

A loud beep of excitement had her twisting her head on the pillows to look to the side, where Arthree could be seen, his radar eye blinking as he tittered.

It was probably as close to relief as a droid could possibly get and Talik reached a hand out with a smile, patting his domed-shaped head.

Arthree hooted and beeped and Talik wished she had Sabé's ability to comprehend what those beeps meant, but it seemed she didn't have to, as a small chuckle had followed Arthree's noise.

"He's glad you're feeling better and thinks you should stay away from icy planets," Talik's master mentioned with amusement and Talik twisted her head to look at her so suddenly that her head swam, but her sight didn't.

Sabé Amidala was nestled comfortably in the chair beside her bed, holding a datapad loosely in her hands.

_She couldn't have been a dream_, Talik decided. _Not Master._

The fall of her braids over her shoulders was much too haphazard and the presence of the lines of tension on her face would not have been so.

"_Master,"_ Talik whispered, the word choked with emotion.

"And_ I _am glad you are well," Sabé told her, her eyes flicking to the astromech briefly before they returned to Talik. "You got yourself into a bit of trouble on Hoth while I was gone."

She wasn't admonishing, merely stating the facts, but Talik could still feel the heat flooding her face in embarrassment and shameful tears filling her eyes.

"M-Master, I'm so sorry!"

Sabé's brow creased in confusion. "Sorry? What for, Padawan? You had no way of knowing what was on Hoth, being attacked by a Wampa."

"But I should have been focused on my surroundings!"

Sabé made an annoyed noise in the back of her throat. "_Talik_," she said, with just a touch of reproving that made Talik flinch, "if a Wampa could take out Garen Muln, _a full-fledged Jedi Knight_, then you can't blame yourself. Yes, you should be aware of your surroundings, but there will be things that slip through the cracks. You mustn't blame yourself."

Her master reached out a hand to cup her Padawan's cheek, rubbing the tears away.

"And you managed to get away from the Wampa on your own," Sabé added, giving her a gentle smile. "Not even Garen could manage that…though he was suffering from a bit more blood loss," she conceded.

"Garen Muln?" Talik was so confused. "Was that his distress call?"

Sabé nodded. "Garen crash landed on Hoth and was taken by surprise and dragged off to be eaten by a Wampa when we found him."

"Is Knight Muln all right?" Talik asked with wide eyes, remembering the feeling of waking up in that cavern with her feet stuck to the icy ceiling.

"Garen's still in the bacta tank," Sabé said, nodding in the general direction of the bacta tanks, even though Talik couldn't see them, she knew they were there, "but Master Che believes he'll make a full recovery, it'll just take him a little longer than you."

Talik raised a hand to the side of her face where the creature –Wampa, Master had called it– had hit her, her fingers tracing lightly over the skin.

"Master Che said your face might feel a little tender where it slashed you," Sabé added, her eyes tracking the movement. "But that will fade…you're as good as new, Talik."

The Jedi didn't endorse vanity, but if there was one thing Talik was glad of, it was the lack of disfiguring scars. Her master liked to claim that her one vanity was her hair (but Talik knew that she would cut through it if she had to) and she had scars that she wasn't afraid to show off.

"No scars?" Talik asked.

"Not this time."

Scars were sometimes unavoidable, and Talik knew quite well of Sabé's disregard for her own health, and she knew that sometimes the bacta had very little affect on the injuries Jedi sustained.

"Anakin's been very worried about you," Sabé added and Talik blinked in surprise. "Obi-Wan had to force him to leave in order to get some sleep, but—"

"_Talik!"_

A small boy barreled into the room with a head of blonde hair and a short Padawan braid swinging from the speed he'd been moving in.

"How many times do I have to say it, Anakin! No running in the medical ward!"

Obi-Wan appeared not a moment later looking particularly harried from the speed of his young Padawan.

Anakin ignored him in favor of his new friend. "Talik! You're all better!"

"No white-furred monster can keep me down," Talik promised, giving the boy a half-smile.

"How did you get away?"

"Well—"

Sabé stood and Arthree wheeled towards her, beeping quietly only to back away as she gave a wave of her own hand. "Why don't you two chat while Obi-Wan and I talk?"

She didn't wait for an answer, already moving towards the open doorway and Obi-Wan followed her, confusion wrinkling his brow. "What is it?"

"As the _Millennium Falcon_ will remain in my possession for the next week, Master Yoda has requested that I lead several younglings that have become Padawans to Ilum to search the crystal caves…perhaps you would like to join us, since you lost your previous lightsaber on Naboo."

Obi-Wan was grateful for how matter of fact her words her spoken. He didn't like to speak of what had occurred between himself, Qui-Gon, and the Sith (_Darth Maul_, he remembered the Neimoidians had called him), not when the wounds were so fresh.

"Anakin—"

"The Council feels he should wait to go to Ilum for his crystal," Sabé cut across him smoothly. "He knows nothing of the Jedi's teachings, he doesn't understand the importance and the dedication that go into making a 'saber, not yet."

It was easy to forget that Sabé had once been apprenticed to the Grandmaster of the Jedi.

"You're not wrong," Obi-Wan agreed, "but he will need someone to look after him while I'm gone."

Sabé's lips twisted in amusement. "I'm sure Bant Eerin would be happy to look after your Padawan." Her eyes were focused on a point beyond Obi-Wan's shoulder and he turned to see the Mon Calamari Jedi standing there.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said, her large eyes narrowed, "just what have you been up to this time?"

Sabé left him before he could come up with a suitable excuse and her laughter echoed in his mind as he attempted to appease his friend.

* * *

Anakin was very sulky about the whole thing, and the image of him with his arms crossed, his lower lip jutting out in a pout as he avoided looking at Obi-Wan as the Jedi attempted to placate him was rather like a younger brother mad at his older for leaving him alone.

When Talik remarked that to Sabé, her master had been quite amused.

But now she stood by her master's side, her master, who was the picture of serenity, waiting for the new Padawans to arrive.

"How many are to join us?" Obi-Wan asked as he stepped down the Falcon's ramp.

"Four," Sabé mused, her eyes focused on something in the distance, "it looks like they're running late."

And it seemed they indeed were, as the Padawans came rushing forward, breathless in their haste to arrive on time (though, on time would be pushing it a bit, Sabé thought).

Of the Padawans, there were three boys and one girl. The girl was a Nautolan, with one boy a Humanoid, another a Twi'lek, and the last a Rodian.

"Knight Amidala, Knight Kenobi," they all said with bows and varying levels of respect (or absolutely none).

"Well met, Padawans," Sabé said, her eyes glittering as she smiled. "To pass the Initiate Trials is one thing, but to become a Padawan is not a path to take lightly…and so begins your first true task, for there is no greater challenge or honor than embarking to find the crystal to your lightsaber."

Gleeful light glinted in their eyes at that.

"It is you that will craft the hilt and make sure the pieces are aligned properly," Sabé continued, "but first you must find your crystal. I leave the crafting of your lightsabers in your capable hands."

"Is it true that the crystals can only be found in the caves of Ilum?" The Rodian male asked, bobbing excitedly on his feet.

"The crystals are in the most abundance on Ilum," Obi-Wan spoke for her, drawing the attention from her and towards him, "but it is true that these crystals can be found on other planets."

"But challenges still lie ahead of you," Sabé promised, "it is no simple thing to choose a crystal that resonates with you…the Crystal Caves are very sacred to the Jedi, but that does not mean that it won't try to trick you. The Force is strong on Ilum and it will test you. You will only succeed if you are ready for the challenge."

She quirked an eyebrow as if to ask if anyone wanted to turn back, but it was clear that none of the four had any desire to do so.

"Now, let us board, Hyperspace will decrease our time in space to only a few hours, but it will only grow colder on Ilum; it is best not to wait."

And then they were all inside the craft with Obi-Wan and Sabé nestled in the cockpit and Talik locking Arthree into place so he wouldn't bounce around.

"Is Anakin still mad at you?" she asked Obi-Wan as she maneuvered the ship out into the traffic of Coruscant, making for space.

"I presume so," Obi-Wan gave a small sigh. "He's very…_passionate_."

Sabé arched an eyebrow. "Passion is not a bad thing."

But wasn't it? Obi-Wan merely shook his head at his friend, repeating the familiar Code in his mind:

_There is no emotion, there is peace_

_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge_

_There is no passion, there is serenity_

_There is no chaos, there is harmony_

_There is no death, there is the Force_

"Change is not a bad thing, either, you know," Sabé remarked, pulling the lever to jolt them into Hyperspace. "Maybe that's why so many good Jedi have Fallen."

"Or maybe they should have been firm in their ideals."

The look she threw towards him was just a touch exasperated. "And what if the Jedi's ideals are wrong?"

Obi-Wan opened his mouth, half-vexed and half-exasperated as well when Talik entered the cockpit.

"How long are we going to be in Hyperspace?" the Twi'lek asked, grasping the back of her master's seat in order to keep upright better as the ship swayed.

"An hour," Sabé said, flicking a few buttons, "two at the most…want to avoid the Padawans?"

Talik merely shifted uncomfortably in response. She was a ten year old Padawan with field training under her belt and the four on the ship were at the least three years her senior, yet Talik held seniority in experience.

"You could have stayed with Anakin," Sabé mentioned lightly, "you didn't have to come, Talik. If you don't feel well enough—"

"I'm fine, Master, you don't have to worry about me," Talik huffed, puffing out her cheeks slightly as she did so, an action that made her seem much younger. "I'm here to keep _you_ company."

Amusement filtered through their bond, but Sabé said nothing concerning it. "Talik," she hummed instead, her eyes glinting, "would you like to tell Master Obi-Wan your views on the Jedi Order?"

"You're corrupting your Padawan now?"

"Padawans exist to be corrupted, my dear," Sabé replied and Obi-Wan flushed at the endearing term, "now _hush."_

"The Jedi claim to experience true freedom when they are so restrictive, if there is a group that experiences freedom, it would be the Sith," Talik explained. The Dark Side of the Force was, after all, a subject that her master specialized in, and Talik had picked up a few things from her. "Besides, couldn't it be argued that the Jedi created the Sith and then punished them for it?"

Obi-Wan looked vaguely startled at the prospect, but a glance to Sabé, with the proud smile on her lips, told Talik she was doing well.

"When the Jedi first began a group branched off from them, right? They followed a separate Code, right?" she directed the question towards her master who nodded approvingly.

"Xendor," Sabé agreed, "and the Legions of Lettow. Xendor felt that the Order was too exclusionary and left to set up his own academy on Bogan."

"But then other Jedi left," Talik added, "interested in the different teachings that were taught there and the Jedi grew weary and decided to decimate them, right? That was all during the Great Schism, right?"

"Well, Obi-Wan?" Sabé prompted. "There are two sides to every conflict, you know? But it also goes to show that fear of change appears to be a life-long condition for the Jedi Order."

Obi-Wan could concede that she might have been right about certain things, but he could not agree with the kind of action she wished to take.

"And I'm not saying that the Jedi Code is all bad," Sabé added, "it's just that there are a couple of things that have just never sat well with me…and you don't have to agree with me, I know how set you are in your views."

If there was one thing that Sabé was serious about, it was her reasons for questioning the way the Order worked. Sometimes Obi-Wan wondered if one day she'd decide that she'd had enough and go off to make her own Jedi Order that was far less restrictive. But there was an undercurrent of rippling amusement.

"You're making fun of me," he realized.

"Of course not," Sabé smiled widely, "I'd be much too _frightened _to tease one as skilled as you, Master Kenobi."

Her eyes gleamed, though, contradicting her words and Obi-Wan muttered a few choice phrases under his breath while Talik giggled.

* * *

Ilum was as frigid as Talik remembered, even bundled up in her warm coat. There had been a bit more sun then, but the cold was no different. And she'd found that single green crystal no matter how many times the Caves had tried to trick her.

"I thought you were going to stay in the ship while the Padawans and Obi-Wan go off and find their crystals," a voice mentioned behind Talik and she turned to look on Sabé.

Her master's brow was wrinkled in confusion as she crossed her arms.

It was a very different look from the one she had given Obi-Wan when he'd descended the ramp, but Talik's still child-like mind discarded that information for a later date when she could actually begin to comprehend it.

"I'm just going to have a look around, is that so bad?" Talik pouted but Sabé merely arched an eyebrow, looking a bit like an older sister unamused of her younger sister's antics (a descriptor that both would find endlessly humorous).

"Have you developed a new fondness for ice-planets?" Sabé responded with a smooth smile.

Talik wrinkled her nose and her master laughed, though the laughter was choked by a gust of wind as Talik wandered around the caves, hesitant to go in.

She'd been thinking about Jar'Kai a lot since she'd woken up in the Jedi Temple. The way her master had moved during the Battle of Theed had been most impressive, but her master's ability to use two blades simultaneously had always been a bit awe-inspiring.

But Talik had never really taken it into consideration just how helpful it could be in a battle with so many opponents.

_And Master was fearless,_ Talik thought, _I couldn't imagine facing down that many enemies without fear._

But her master was a Jedi Guardian, she was a trained warrior, and Talik was just a Padawan. And Talik remembered a time when she had said she'd wanted to be just like her master, to be a Jedi Guardian, but now Talik wasn't so sure.

Talik looked down at her hands.

"_Master, why do you believe so much in the Force?" Talik had asked early into her apprenticeship, regarding her new master with curiosity._

_Everyone in the Temple believed in the Force, yes, but no one spoke of it in such a reverent tone as Sabé Amidala did._

"_The Force helped to bring me into existence," her master had said. "I am grateful for that. The Force creates life, Talik, never forget that."_

And wouldn't it be something to be like Vokara Che, great in the healing arts, and able to use the Force to heal others?

Talik closed her palm, starting at the feel of something cool against her skin, stunned to find a green crystal in the center of her hand, shining with promise.

* * *

Sabé knelt into the snow when a violet shine caught her eye and she dug away the snow, ignoring the bite of the cold to find a purple gem glimmering there.

_Just in case_, the Force whispered in her ear.

* * *

"Go back to the sand dune, you're not _wanted _here."

Anakin was beginning to see why Talik and her master's group ate in the apartment (it was always 'the apartment', never 'Sabé's apartment' because Sabé didn't technically own it, Ruwee Naberrie, her father, did), temperamental Initiates and Padawans clearly didn't like special cases.

"Back off,_ sleemo_," Talik said, materializing at his elbow with a frosty glare for the mouthy Togruta. "Just because you didn't get the master that killed the first Sith in centuries doesn't mean you get to be a _nerfherder_ to the one that did."

Anakin smirked as the boy glared. Obi-Wan's prowess had spread through the Temple like wildfire, and if there was one thing that was good about it, it was that it discouraged others from crossing Anakin, the former-slave Padawan thought too old to begin training). But Obi-Wan never talked about what happened, or, more specifically, how he'd managed to defeat the Sith.

All Anakin knew was that his master was spending a great deal of time with Aayla Secura, a close friend of Sabé's who favored the lightsaber form of Soresu (Anakin didn't understand all the forms yet, but he would).

"Come on, let's go sit," Talik said, dragging Anakin away, balancing her own tray of food on one hand as they left the room to make for their usual spot in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, which was a large greenhouse located in the base of the Temple with waterfalls and enough flora to be a haven to a boy born in a barren wasteland.

"I wish we could eat back at the apartment, but Master Aayla's busy," Talik said with a frown, "and we're not really supposed to go there by ourselves."

Talik may have been a Jedi Padawan, but she was still a child that lacked even the rudimentary skill to make Bantha stew.

"Your master's not back from her mission yet?" Anakin asked.

Sabé had left earlier that week to settle a dispute on Dantooine that was expanding at exponential proportions.

"No," Talik said, wrinkling her nose, "I think she would have preferred anyone to Master Krell."

Pong Krell was a Besalisk Jedi Master with four arms that wielded two double-bladed lightsabers and practiced the same Jar'Kai style as Sabé , only with a few variations.

"She doesn't like him?"

"Master thinks his tactics are too aggressive," Talik said, swallowing her chou-shou. "There is value in using your smarts over your strength in battle."

A Jedi Guardian who preferred not to fight. The irony had not been lost to Anakin.

"What're the Jedi types?" Anakin prompted her after they had descended into a short silence.

Talik jerked out of her thoughts, swallowing some juice. "Well, there's three main types: Jedi Guardian, Jedi Consular, and Jedi Sentinel. The Jedi Guardians, which is what Master is, _technically_—"

"Technically?"

Talik shrugged sheepishly. "Master's hard to pin down. The Jedi Guardians are the first line of defense, they're the warriors of the Jedi. Then there are the Jedi Consulars, and they're kind of the peacekeepers of the Jedi, they avoid violence. And then there are the Jedi Sentinels, and they kind of specialize in anything that can combine the Jedi with civilian duties…like Slicers that can infiltrate computer networks, and Jedi Shadows."

"Jedi Shadows?" Anakin had heard the term before but he didn't quite understand what it was. "What do they do?"

"They're in charge of finding any relics of the Dark Side, sometimes destroying, sometimes bringing it back to the Temple for study," Talik explained, "that's usually what Master does, she's good at espionage…which is not as_ bad_ it sounds…"

It sounded pretty bad, but Anakin trusted Sabé Amidala, and he had long before they had met in the flesh…back when she had merely been a soothing presence in his dreams.

"Come on," Anakin laughed, "I want to practice with those training 'sabers before anyone gets there!"

Talik made a great show of being put upon, but she still let him drag her out of the greenhouse and up the stairs, and that's when they heard the voices.

"Maybe you should spend some time in the medical ward, Sabé," came Kit Fisto's soothing tone. "You're looking a bit ragged."

Even Anakin could sense the bubble of tension within the Nabooan Jedi.

"_Ragged?"_ Sabé nearly growled. "Master Krell almost decapitated me_ twice_ and the violence on Dantooine could have been sorted out fairly easily with far less casualties. I _refuse _to partner with anyone who has such a disregard for life and the living Force!"

"Are you going to tell Master Yoda that?"

The two peeked their heads around the corner to look at the two speaking in time to see an expression that a Nautolan's equivalent of an eyebrow-raise, but Talik's eyes focused on her master.

She did indeed look a bit worse for wear. Her jerking was burned and parts of her cloak was cinders, and there were a few scraps and cuts along her face and arm, but she seemed to be in good health regardless.

"That is _exactly _what I'm going to tell my old master!" Sabé promised.

"_Master!"_

A sudden blur of lavender latched onto her around her hip, and though the movement jarred her, she didn't show it.

"Talik," Sabé smiled warmly, "have you been keeping out of trouble for Master Aayla?"

Talik grinned, recalling the other day when she and Anakin had managed to dye Aayla's lekku leather wraps a bright green.

"I'm not sure I want to know," Sabé remarked shrewdly, taking in the same grin on Anakin's face as he moved forward to join them.

He hovered awkwardly before Sabé offered him a one-armed hug freely that reminded him of his mother. If there was one thing Sabé was good at, it was her ability to help him forget about the Order's non-attachment rule.

"And remember, you only get in trouble if you get caught." She winked and Anakin snorted whilst Talik giggled.

"We were going to practice lightsaber forms," Anakin added. "Are you coming?"

"I _might_ be interested," Sabé said evasively with a twinkle in her eye as she swatted them forward. "Run along, I'll be there shortly."

And the two raced off with laughter echoing off the walls.

"Terrors, those two," Kit uttered in faint amusement, "they'll take the Temple by storm one day."

"One day," Sabé agreed as they followed the Padawans up the stairs at a more leisure pace. "Did anything of importance happen while I was away?"

"Well, only one thing comes to mind," Kit admitted grudgingly, "do you remember Master Dooku?"

"Of course," Sabé said, blinking in surprise. Who didn't know Master Dooku? He was the Temple's most accomplished in lightsaber dueling, particularly in the style of Makashi.

"He's left the Order."

"He's done _what?"_ Sabé gasped, goggling at him. That was something she had not expected; this was Dooku they were talking about.

"The rumor is the loss of his old Padawan was what drove him to leave," Kit continued, referencing Qui-Gon Jinn's passing.

"I'm sure it's more than that," Sabé responded with a frown on her lips.

Something was amiss, but she wasn't sure what, at least, not yet.

"Come on, Master! Hurry _up!_ You and Master Kit are slower than the _dead!"_

Sabé laughed with her old friend at her Padawan's vexation.

But for now she would put it out of her mind. There was an enthralling young Twi'lek in need of instruction and she had chosen Sabé long before Sabé had chosen her.

And they'd barely scratched the surface of Talik Shala's potential, and Sabé couldn't wait to see how the Jedi grew.

**AN: Part I is complete! On to Part II! If you're lucky I might post another chapter this weekend, but if not, ah well…**

**Technically, the Crystal Caves of Ilum are meant to host only blue and green crystals, but I tweaked it for my use.**

**The next one will jump to when they are nearly fourteen, since that's when the fun begins (I believe that even though Anakin was made a Padawan at ten he didn't go on any missions with Obi-Wan for awhile, especially since he hadn't had any previous Temple instruction)**

**And there'll be a lot more of the Anakin-Talik moments (they are my brotp now, the bastards) to look forward to as well as some chaotic missions, questioning of the Code, falling in love even though it's against the Jedi Code…all good things ;)**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	16. Tensions on Anobis

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Sixteen: Tensions on Anobis**

**AN: Let part two of A Shift in the Force begin! So…I could make an attempt to follow the Jedi Quest series, but I figured why not make it a bit more fun and make it up as I go?**

**Yes: Talik will be training in Jar'Kai, she and Sabé will be a famous pair for both specializing in the double-blade style, especially when there aren't all that many that study it.**

**There's a lot of excitement about the Talik-Anakin brotp, but sadly it looks like they're going to be apart in this chapter, ah well, better luck next chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Obi-Wan's eyes flashed open from the raw agony he had sensed from his Padawan, and then he was throwing the blankets of his bed back as he made his way hastily to Anakin's side as he thrashed in his sleep.

Anakin was nearly fourteen now and his Padawan braid had grown longer as he had aged, though he had yet to go on an official mission with his master. But in many ways he was still the little boy on Tatooine, the boy, not the Jedi.

Obi-Wan hadn't been certain he was quite the best master for the Chosen One, words he had imparted upon Sabé over some tea after meditation in the apartment, dutifully ignoring the presence of Luminara Unduli as she embraced the Force on the veranda.

And Sabé had listened patiently, swirling the tea in her cup.

"_You mustn't make the same mistake your master did,"_ Sabé had warned him, her eyes gleaming with ancient knowledge of the Force. _"You have a bond to Anakin, a bond that was formed long before you chose him as your Padawan, Obi-Wan…Anakin chose _you_ to be his master."_

And sometimes Obi-Wan hated how certain his friend could be, but her belief in the Force was strong, as strong as her strength in it was.

"_You are a good Jedi, Obi-Wan,"_ Sabé had said, _"but Anakin will make you great."_

So Obi-Wan stumbled into his Padawan's room, turning on the low light to cast a dim glow across the boy in the bed.

Anakin's face was twisted, his fingers fisting into the blankets at his side as he writhed in agony.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured his charge's name, reaching out a hand to grasp the boy's shoulder when his blue eyes shot open and his fist caught the left side of Obi-Wan's face, sending the Jedi tumbling backwards, startled.

Anakin, on the other hand, was breathing hard as awareness returned to him, blinking owlishly as he took in his room; the scattered droids around the room in disrepair, the training 'saber parts on the floor, and his master sitting up with a hand to his eye.

"Master!" Anakin was immediately horrified. "I'm so sorry! I—"

Obi-Wan held up a hand to stall the flow of Anakin's words, pulling himself off the floor to sit on the edge of Anakin's bed.

"I could hear you screaming in the Force, Anakin," Obi-Wan said gently.

"I'm sorry," Anakin said miserably, flopping against the pillows, pressing his hands into his face, rubbing aggressively at his eyes.

"Do…" Obi-Wan paused briefly before barreling on. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He couldn't very well force his Padawan to speak, he had enough experience to know that was a bad idea. Though he hadn't quite mastered Sabé's ability to force him to speak by simply staring it him long enough with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.

Anakin gave him to response, attempting to steady his breathing.

"Would you rather talk to Master Sabé?" Obi-Wan asked instead.

"_No!"_ Anakin's hands left his face and his fiery blue eyes fixed on Obi-Wan and the Jedi could sense an overwhelming sense of failure coming from his Padawan. It was clear that whatever his dream was, it had been quite terrible. "I—" His words choked in his throat.

_I don't want to disappoint you_, he whispered in Obi-Wan's mind and Obi-Wan's hazel eyes softened.

Anakin was still a boy in need of the binding ties he'd had with his mother, even if the Jedi believed in non-attachment. Obi-Wan found himself often comparing the boy to the younger Sabé Amidala. Sabé had been raised in the Temple, and though she had met her family, the only truly profound ties she'd had were with her youngest sister, but Obi-Wan knew that Sabé would throw herself into battle if it kept her friends safe.

Yet, Sabé was an accomplished Jedi no matter her binding ties, proving her theory that one could love without it affecting their ability to be a Jedi.

"You won't disappoint me," Obi-Wan promised him, pressing a hand to the boy's forehead, feeling the fevered skin beneath. "You couldn't disappoint me."

Anakin shut his eyes and Obi-Wan noticed how pained his pinched face became.

"I was burning," he croaked, "I was burning alive…and, and I heard you, you were disappointed and ashamed of me."

His eyes caught Obi-Wan's and Obi-Wan swallowed thickly, trying to imagine what he had described; he had never been burned alive, but he imagined that it was quite painful and for Anakin, a Padawan still in boyhood, it was no wonder he had screamed in agony.

"It was just a dream, Anakin," Obi-Wan assured him as he lifted his hand from the boy's forehead to rest lightly on his shoulder. "You're not in pain anymore, are you?"

Anakin shook his head, but his eyes were still wide. "What if it was a vision?" he whispered.

The young Padawan learner wasn't nearly as prone to visions as Sabé was, though, Obi-Wan knew from her muffled complaints that many of her visions were the least helpful kind, the potential of what could occur.

"Visions are notoriously unhelpful," Obi-Wan acquiesced and Anakin snorted.

"Master Sabé says that too," he agreed.

"That's because Master Sabé has had quite a few that have only served to fill her with anxiety," Obi-Wan muttered.

The name _Carina_ had a terrifying effect on his old friend, but she rarely spoke to him about her visions, that was left to Aayla Secura and Kit Fisto, whose trust she held close to her heart.

"Get some sleep, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, patting his shoulder. "I believe the vision has passed and you may get some rest tonight."

And though Anakin was doubtful, he conceded to his master, pulling his covers over himself as Obi-Wan shut the door behind him.

He didn't tell Obi-Wan of the vision he'd had moments before he'd experienced the burning agony…but he couldn't quite get the image of his violet-skinned friend being thrown through the air and dragged away with a cry of _"MASTER!" _before she was silenced.

The thought of his best friend being in trouble made Anakin's stomach churn and made him break out in a cold sweat.

_Talik, I hope you're all right._

* * *

Talik was spitting mad even in binders that kept her from using the Force, but Talik didn't need it, not now at least. And the rotten _nerfherders_ had taken her 'sabers!

She clenched her hands into tight fists where they were caught behind her.

The mission had seemed quite simple. Go to Anobis and settle a minor dispute between the settlement of Zabraks there, between a farming and mining colony. But then, soon after they'd arrived, a bomb had been thrown into a mine and things had gone, as Master liked to say, utterly pear-shaped.

Talik had been thrown in the explosion and nabbed by several farming Zabraks before her master could reach her.

And though Sabé Amidala might not have been able to sense her through the Force now, that didn't mean that her master didn't have a way of finding her.

But…

"_You can't always depend on me to save you,"_ Sabé had remarked three missions back, reproachful to her growing Padawan. _"You must learn to save yourself, because sometimes you will be all there is."_

The Zabraks weren't in the room that they'd dragged her into, but it didn't matter; Talik could practically smell the fear, it was coming off them in waves.

What could cause them to be so afraid? It couldn't have been from her and Master Sabé's arrival, could it? Surely two Jedi didn't cause that much of a fuss, especially when they were there to settle an arguably minor dispute.

The sudden escalation was startling.

Talik leaned forward where she was sitting in order to feel the binders around her wrists better. It was clear that whatever material they were made of, it was clearly not as unbreakable as most were. Which meant it was possible that Talik could short circuit them and free herself.

_Thank you, Master_, she thought fervently.

Sabé had once bound her hands in binders to see if she could escape them on her own (a feat that Sabé herself had managed only a few times to date under very extenuating circumstances), and it had taken almost a full day (and hours of Anakin laughing his ass off at her) before she'd finally managed it.

Her knees dug into the floor as she pulled herself upright, jumping up and pulling her legs inward so that she could bring her arms around to the front, a feat that strained even the most flexible, and Talik was nothing if not flexible.

But what mattered was that Talik had managed it, and she breathed out deeply, before whacking her bound wrists against the jutting wall.

The binders cracked as they fell away and Talik rubbed at her bruised wrists, glaring at the door.

"Fear does the strangest thing to people," she murmured, reciting a phrase her master had mentioned once.

Then Talik sat down on the ground, crossing her legs and closing her eyes, spreading her awareness out, past the door.

Sabé had been working steadily with her on her ability to use the Force in order to sense what could not be seen and hear conversations beyond her hearing.

Sadly, she didn't have the ability to extend it very far, but it was far enough in this case.

"_This is wrong and you know it!"_ a female said angrily. _"We don't want to bring the wrath of the Jedi of the Republic down on us!"_

"_We didn't want this, Jarvei!"_ a male hissed. _"But these are our children that monster was threatening and she wanted that Jedi, badly!"_

"_This will end badly and you know it!"_ the woman known as Jarvei said. _"What happens when she kills that Jedi? What happens when she kills the Jedi's student?"_

Talik's eyes flashed open, widening at the words spoken.

"_We will not come out of this unscathed,"_ Jarvei warned.

"_I care more for the lives of our children,"_ the second responded.

A split second later they were startled by the door being slammed into the opposite wall by a Force push and when the dust cleared, an irate Twi'lek was standing there.

Talik Shala may have only been fourteen, but she was the Padawan to Sabé Amidala and the past three years had taught her much. Her traditional Jedi tunic was a darker brown, though hers lacked sleeves, and her lower arms held vambraces fused with Mandalorian iron (a gift from her master when they'd ran into a bounty hunter with a murderous streak' he hadn't need the vambraces so Sabé had given them to Talik) that were difficult for lightsabers to cut through.

She spied her lightsabers on one of the Zabrak's waist and held her hand out, summoning them through the air and activating them in a swift movement.

"I'm only going to ask this once," Talik spoke coolly. "Where is my master?"

The two Zabraks in the hallway wore differing uniforms, she realized, one was from the farming colony –the male– and the other was from the mining colony –the female named Jarvei. The fact that two opposing sides of the dispute that Sabé and Talik had been sent to settle were in close proximity to one another fortified Talik's thought that the dispute had been a sham.

The male looked to the female uneasily and she, in turn, gave her own "You see?"

"We…don't know," he said finally, uneasiness filtering through his expression. "She was thrown in the blast."

"A blast you caused," Talik spat through gritted teeth.

She was getting angry and she could hear her master's voice in her ear:_ Do not fight with anger in your heart, Talik, it is a dangerous power that leads down a dark road_. Talik had to pause, take a deep breath and let go of that emotion.

More calmly than before she said, "Am I to assume that this…Jedi intervention was not your idea?"

"We'd be more than happy to tell you everything," Jarvei said, eyeing the double emerald blades glowing ominously in the hallway. "Provided you agreed to keep your laser-swords at your waist."

And Talik was nothing if not accommodating.

* * *

Obi-Wan had a black eye the next day and Anakin was perfectly miserable about it. But he tried not to be obvious about it, even though he was sure it filtered through their master-padawan bond.

And sure enough a moment later his master turned back to him with a slight smile. "Don't worry about it, Anakin, its fine."

"I should have been in more control of my emotions," Anakin disagreed, avoiding his gaze.

"You were in the midst of a terrible vision," Obi-Wan said, waving him off, "I should have known what to expect."

Anakin chewed on the inside of his cheek, lengthening his stride in order to keep up with his master's long-legged pace.

It wasn't very early in the Temple, not now, anyways, but it had been a bit early when they had first left the Temple apartment that both shared as master and Padawan. Anakin had almost been certain that Obi-Wan had wanted to speak with the Council about his vision, but Obi-Wan didn't mention it and Anakin didn't ask.

But the curiosity was eating him up inside when they entered the Temple's hangar for star-craft.

"Where are we going?" he asked before brightening. "Are we leaving the Temple?"

He'd lost count of how many times he'd waved Talik and her master off to whichever planet they were sent to help. The lucky times his best friend was only gone a week, but at worst she'd been gone close to a month on some missions.

"Yes, we are leaving the Temple," Obi-Wan laughed, faintly amused, but mostly cryptic.

Anakin sulked at that; it seemed that being cryptic came with being a Jedi because nearly every Jedi he'd met shared that manner at some point.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" he probed, tugging sharply on Obi-Wan's robe before releasing his grip quickly (it was a habit he'd picked up when he'd first started as Obi-Wan's Padawan and it was a habit he was trying to break).

"I hadn't considered it," Obi-Wan said, his lips curling into an amused smile as he looked down at Anakin. "It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises," Anakin grated.

"You'll like this one, I promise."

After all, Obi-Wan was taking him to Ilum to search for the crystal for his first lightsaber. There was no way that Anakin could be disappointed with the thing he'd been waiting to do for months.

* * *

Kit Fisto was glad to be leaving Corellia with the ship-saboteur caught and in custody, as he had only been called in an investigative capacity. He was grateful that the mission was so simple and he could head home once more.

He swept his robes around himself as he drew closer to the Jedi Starfighter he'd taken to the planet, the one that still held Sabé's precious R3 unit, whom he had been loaned for the mission. Arthree was in need of a tune-up, but Sabé had been a little busy and the last time someone had tried to tinker with him –and by someone, Kit meant Anakin Skywalker and Talik Shala– it hadn't ended well; Sabé had been caught somewhere between exasperated and displeased.

Arthree beeped as Kit approached, his domed head twisting back and forth and Kit had to sigh, lacking the ability to translate the astromech's noises without a translatorpad.

"What?" he asked, shrugging his translatorpad out of his robes. "Hang on…say that again, Arthree?"

The astromech beeped and words appeared across the screen: _Message saved to computer._

"Message?" Kit stared at the word in surprise. "From where?"

_Origin: Anobis_

Well, that didn't really help things. Kit didn't know anyone on the planet Anobis, much less any Jedi that were on assignment there, though he had been on Corellia for the past week, so he couldn't have said either way.

"Any idea from who?"

_Frequency signature: Sabé Amidala_

That had Kit's back straightening in surprise. _Sabé was on Anobis?_

"Play the message," he said finally.

Sabé's form flickered in the blue holographic form from Arthree's holographic projector with a hand extended, cupping something claw-like in her hand and Kit was certain it was her own holoprojector.

"_Kit, since my long-distance transmitter has been knocked out I've set this to Arthree's message computer. I need this message transmitted to Master Yoda immediately."_

And without being told to do so, Arthree gave a whirring beep of affirmative (he was Sabé's droid, after all) as a small satellite came out of one of the hatches on his domed head, the satellite moving around until it found an appropriate signal and then Arthree sent off the transmission.

"_What should have been a simple matter is no longer, Master,"_ Sabé intoned with a grimace on her holographic lips as her eyes kept glancing out of the frame, a hand tensed at her waist. _"There was an overwhelming sense of fear of such a trivial matter and I believe the bombing of the mine shortly after our arrival was staged. My Padawan disappeared in the chaos and I'm afraid that something darker is at work here."_

The holoprojector clattered from her hand to fall to her feet as Sabé's twin blades flared to life.

"_Who the hell are you?"_ she demanded before a figure with a saber leapt forward, clashing their blade against hers and the transmission failed.

Kit breathed out sharply through his nose; it was truly an unfortunate quality that Sabé possessed that attracted herself to trouble like moths to a flame.

Yoda's projection replaced Sabé's. _"My old Padawan's senses, rarely wrong they are,"_ he remarked, his claw-like hands clutching that gimer stick of his. _"Closest to Sabé's position, you are, send you to follow, I will."_

"Of course, Master Yoda," Kit responded with a smooth and reverent bow, relieved that the Grandmaster had suggested him rather than telling him to come back to the Temple instead. "But…it is likely that Sabé will have resolved the issue by the time I arrive."

Yoda huffed a light laugh, but he didn't deny the truth to it. Sabé was, after all, famous for finding her own way out of bad situations. _"True, that is,"_ Yoda said. _"But investigate, you still will."_

Kit smiled wryly. "Of course, Master. I'll make contact when I've found her." _Or when she's found me_, he thought privately as the hologram winked out.

Arthree beeped. _New destination: Anobis?_

"Looks like," Kit said, smiling at the practically-sentient astromech. "Eager to see your master?"

_Eagerness must be tempered with experience_

The muscle under Kit's large eyes twitched and he almost laughed. The astromech was far too cheeky, a habit he had picked up from Sabé, no doubt. Arthree had been known to quote snippets of the Jedi Code to his master, something Sabé had always found a bit amusing.

"So it's been said," Kit replied simply, hoping up onto the top of the Starfighter, pulling himself into the single-person cockpit and replacing the reinforced glass covering over his head once he was situated. "How long will it be in Hyperspace?"

There was a trilling beep that told Kit the astromech was calculating the time in space before it beeped out a: Seventy-two minutes.

"Lovely," Kit murmured to himself with a grimace. If there was one thing that Kit Fisto truly didn't like, it was space travel. He'd rather be heading back to Coruscant, thank you very much, but it couldn't be helped. "Let's see what kind of trouble my old friend has gotten herself into."

Arthree whirred an affirmative as the Starfighter lifted off from the ground, soaring up into the sky and then past it right into space, entering Hyperspace in a matter of seconds and leaving behind the planet Corellia entirely.

* * *

_She was beyond his grasp, but not entirely…_

Darth Sidious could taste her power on his tongue…the Great Guide…at first he had disregarded her, during that skirmish on Naboo his mind had been changed. Yes, he had want of Anakin Skywalker, but he would have to be a fool to deny the same of Sabé Amidala.

And Sabé Amidala was a Knight already with views on the Jedi that some might consider grey, and grey so easily turned to dark with a single choice.

_Pass my tests, Great Guide, and perhaps you might become a force to be reckoned with to the Dark Side._

* * *

"About one rotation past there a crash beyond the mountains," Melkoann, the male Zabrak from before, told Talik once they'd all calmed down and Talik had extinguished her lightsabers.

"And how long is a rotation here?" Talik asked with crossed arms.

"Seven days," Jarvei told her. "The miners went to search the wreckage for any sign of life and that's when they found her."

"Someone survived the crash?" Talik asked, her brow wrinkling. The way the two were speaking made it seem unlikely. She remembered more than three years ago when she and her master had been shot down on Naboo, and she remembered Garen Muln's crash on Hoth, and it took skill to survive those kinds of crashes.

Melkoann shuddered. "She didn't even care about the injuries she'd sustained during the crash, the first thing she did was threaten the lives of our children if we didn't bring a Jedi to her immediately."

"I'm going to guess it was Sabé Amidala," Talik said with eyes narrowed and a muscle jumping in her jaw.

Jarvei swallowed thickly but she nodded. "It's the only time the two factions have agreed on anything, but…_she_ is dangerous and we hoped that Amidala might be strong enough to overpower her."

This 'she'…whoever they were, they must have been frightening enough to inspire so much fear in the citizens of the planet.

"So you made up a conflict that would require a Jedi with at least some experience with diplomacy to get her to show up," Talik said with a sigh. She didn't want to imagine what would have happened if someone else had gone in Sabé's place; her terrifying imagination ran rampant and produced an image of a Jedi's head in a box and a message demanding Sabé Amidala be sent to Anobis or more would follow. Talik tried not to shiver.

"Is your master strong?"

"Of course my master's strong!" Talik said, stung as she glowered. "But she prefers to talk rather than fight…what did 'she' call herself? The one who crash landed, what was her name?"

"She said her name was Korinth'Kel," Melkoann said and Talik drew back in stunned surprise. "Why? What is it?"

"You're absolutely sure that was the name?"

"It was the name she gave us," Jarvei remarked dubiously. "Is it of importance?"

"Korinth'Kel is a former Jedi," Talik said, incomprehension and apprehension warring on her face as she reached a hand up to tangle with the beaded strand tied to a leather strap wrapped around one of her lekku. "She left the Jedi Temple just last week."

_What did a former Jedi want with Sabé so much that she had to terrify a whole planet?_

**AN: Ooh! Fun stuff in store and Sabé wasn't even technically in the chapter, but I promise she will be in the next one!**

**For Firestar007 who wanted some Star Wars book recs: I've read a few Star Wars books, but I loved Matthew Stover's Novelization of the Revenge of the Sith, the Obi-Wan-Anakin moments give me life.**

**Then there's Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Wild Space, which had a few good Obikin moments to appease me (because you know how much I like their brotherly relationship) but I was annoyed by how the relationship is portrayed between Obi-Wan and Padmé…old friends is not a term to use, which makes me sad, because I love the Obidala friendship as much as the Obikin friendship**

**I'm currently reading Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth which is equal parts humorous and equal parts interesting.**

**I can't believe how long its going to be before I can write the Clone Wars for this fic...that's when all the good stuff happens! And the scenes I've got planned out for book two won't happen for a few more chapters...sigh...**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	17. Temptations of the Dark

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Seventeen: Temptations of the Dark**

**AN: Haha, someone mentioned I've been updating this fic a lot lately, and yes, I am. I'm riding out my Star Wars obsession for as long as possible, and I'm glad that school doesn't start for another week, which gives me the opportunity to write a bit more.**

**I could be writing for some of my other fics, but this is the only one that's taken over my mind completely, and it's one of my shorter fics (seeing as Looking Beyond is over 600K) so I figured why not write a bit more for you lot to enjoy…especially since we've reached the part of the fic where you have no idea what will happen *cackles***

**I believe Part II, A Shadow's Teachings, should be at least fifteen chapters and might go from the time Talik and Anakin are thirteen/fourteen into the Clone Wars, to a certain point, but I make no promises. **

**I found a great post on tumblr about the potential that the prequels had (as well as a post thrown my way by cheesew97) and I'm really digging the slow build relationship for Anakin and Padmé and the potential for Padmé in this fic…I look forward to writing her again.**

* * *

Sabé could taste the coal on her tongue when she awoke, and she sat up, rubbing at her throat gingerly. Breathing was uncomfortable, like she'd had something sharp down the back of her throat, like she'd swallowed a dagger.

It wasn't an experience she would wish upon anyone.

The last thing she remembered was a bit of a blur: a lightsaber gleaming red as it crashed against her own, the invisible chokehold around her throat, strangling her of her breath.

It wasn't something Sabé would be able to forget in a hurry; the cold fist of the Force locked around her neck, throttling her as she struggled to breathe.

Sabé had never known the Force could be used in such a way and the mere memory of it sent a shudder down her spine. She could already feel the bruises ringed around her throat from the move, but she still sat up, looking around her to ascertain where exactly she was.

The walls had a curvature to them, but with sharp, jutting rocks that could not have made it plainer that wherever Sabé was, it was both underground and in a tunnel of some sort.

It was safe to say that whoever she had briefly fought with had taken her deep into the mountains that the Zabraks of Anobis mined in.

A hand reached for her waist, but the belt at either side of her waist was void of her twin lightsabers and Sabé felt the loss keenly, though she couldn't say that she was surprised. It seemed to be the first rule of taking a Jedi captive, ridding them of their lightsaber.

"Looking for these?" a voice came out of the darkness, one that Sabé found to ring with familiarity to her ears, though why she couldn't yet say.

Sabé turned in the direction of the voice to see a hand tossing her twin lightsabers into the air and catching them far too lightly, a feat only capable of those skilled in the Force.

The Force hummed a warning to her as the figure stepped into the light.

Ice gripped her heart, pumping through her body in the stead of blood and Sabé's lips parted in incomprehension at the figure standing before her.

"_Impossible_," she hardly dared to breathe.

Sabé recognized the Near-Human, with her long pale face and slightly sunken cheeks that others like her were known for, her blue eyes so light that they were almost silver with dark facial spots close to the outer edges of her eyes.

Her similarities to the newly Knighted Mira Orfang had always been a subject of amusement between both females and Sabé couldn't remember a time when she hadn't seen the woman before her smiling.

"Korinth'Kel Dorma?" Sabé uttered the woman's name with wide eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Later it dawned on her what a foolish question that was, but Sabé couldn't begin to comprehend that Korinth'Kel Dorma, _a Jedi Consular, a Jedi Seer_, was the one who had crashed a red 'saber against hers, that had used the Force to starve her of air.

She had grown up with Korinth'Kel, from the crèche to Padawan-ship. Korinth'Kel was one of her favorites for people she enjoyed debating the Code with, especially since the Near-Human was such a staunch supporter of the Jedi. When she'd heard that Korinth'Kel had left the Order it had been nothing short of startling.

"You know, I never understood the appeal of Jar'Kai," Korinth'Kel mused, rubbing her thumb over the design of Sabé's hilts. "I always felt relying too much on skill rather than the Force was a huge drawback."

Sabé drew herself upright as carefully and as slowly as she could as though worried what Korinth'Kel would do if she moved to quickly.

"Master had his apprehension when I first started," Sabé conceded, brushing the particles from her leather jerkin that she'd picked up after she'd been knocked out. "But I am quite capable of utilizing the Force while using my 'sabers."

"Oh, I know." There was a definite note of fondness in Korinth'Kel's voice. "The Great Guide with her skill in the_ Force_…"

Sabé had never liked the name, just as Anakin found it annoying when others called him the Chosen One. They were _people_ not _prophecies._

Her lips drew downwards at the mention of 'Great Guide' and her eyes narrowed.

Then, to her surprise, Korinth'Kel tossed Sabé her 'sabers, and Sabé caught them easily, no matter how confused she was.

"Why are you here, Korinth'Kel?" Sabé asked. "Why did you leave the Order?"

Korinth'Kel's eyes gleamed eerily in the semi-darkness and Sabé discovered it to be an unnerving sight.

"I was…contemplating the Force when I Saw it," the Near-Human spoke with a tremble of awe. "It came to me…a vision."

"What could you have seen that would have made you abandon the Order you love?"

"I didn't abandon the Order," Korinth'Kel seethed, her voice rising gradually. _"The Order abandoned ME!"_

Sabé recoiled sharply at the fiery hot ripple that was sent through the Force. Korinth'Kel, one of the kindest Jedi in the Temple, was overflowing with _hate._

"What did you see, Korinth'Kel?" Sabé pressed.

"I saw you," Korinth'Kel said, calling her 'saber to her hand and igniting its crimson blade and it cast a glow across her eyes that made Sabé swallow. "I saw _Darth Carina."_

Sabé's heart stuttered out of rhythm and her mouth went dry as her hands tightened around her 'sabers, and Korinth'Kel smirked at her response.

"Was that a flicker of fear I sensed from the Great Guide?" she mocked.

"Don't call me that," Sabé snapped automatically, trying to cover her fear with irritation.

Korinth'Kel ignored her and Sabé didn't blame her; the retort was rather weak. Instead she settled into an Ataru stance, curling her fingers inwards towards Sabé. "Come, old friend, let me show you how to use the Dark Side!"

And she threw herself forward, allowing Sabé barely enough time to activate her own 'sabers to block her strike. Korinth'Kel's slash caused Sabé to skid back as she struggled to keep her 'sabers in her hands, determined not to yield.

"I am _not_ Darth Carina!" Sabé bit out furiously. "How could you let one vision change you so much, Korinth'Kel? That is not the girl I remember!"

"The girl you remember is long dead!" Korinth'Kel laughed as Sabé dodged and sliced her 'sabers, battering her back. "She was too weak to see the potential embracing the Dark Side has! But my fate is greater, I will forge the next Sith!"

"I will never turn!" Sabé vowed, blocking with one 'saber and aiming a strike to Korinth'Kel's shoulder with the other.

"Says the woman who questions the Code at every turn!" Korinth'Kel spat and Sabé was struck by how utterly mad her old friend looked. She had the utmost respect for the Jedi Seers, who had always had far more skill than her in predicting future events, but she could never have imagined a vision to have the kind of effect that it had clearly had on Korinth'Kel.

Sabé would have never thought that a Jedi could go Dark just like that.

"You hate its restrictions, you don't deny it!" Korinth'Kel's strength through anger was overpowering, and Sabé struggled to center herself. "You scorn the idea of no attachments, you have even before you reconnected with your family!"

Sabé gritted her teeth together, parrying her strike. She couldn't deny that she chafed under the restrictions of the Jedi, just as she knew Anakin did, Anakin who had grown up with a mother's love. She was already proving that a Jedi could love and be in control of their emotions.

A sudden kick to her chest sent her flying, her 'sabers leaving her hands in a single instant, a single moment of weakness, and Korinth'Kel brought down her blade on Sabé only to be blocked with twin emerald ones and the fierce glare of Talik Shala.

Talik forced the Dark Jedi back, nearly growling as she snarled, "Stay away from my Master, Dorma!"

Korinth'Kel appeared remarkably unfazed by Talik's reappearance. "Of course," she said, "where there is Sabé Amidala, Talik Shala is not far behind."

Sabé could sense the righteous anger pooling within her Padawan. _Attacking my Master! How dare you! You were her friend!_ Sabé could hear her thoughts clearly as though someone was hammering them against her skull.

"Dorma," Talik snapped, her lekku twitching in agitation as she positioned herself protectively in front Sabé. "It's two on one, now."

"You think so, do you?" Korinth'Kel said, appearing to be faintly amused by the prospect, and it was true that Talik's skill in lightsaber combat wasn't as impressive as her skill in Force-healing.

And then Talik dropped her 'sabers, both powering off before they hit the ground, her hands clawing at her throat as she was lifted up into the air only to be thrown powerfully against the tunnel's wall and collapsing on the ground, unmoving.

Anger overcame Sabé, rage ripping through her heart at the sight of Talik's stilled form.

_Dead or alive?_

The thought ran fevered through her and Sabé could barely tell how their Master-Padawan bond was still intact, tethered to them both as they lived, until it was manually severed when Talik achieved Knighthood.

Sabé lost herself in her anger, calling her 'sabers to her hands and leaping forward to clash the twin blades against Korinth'Kel's single one.

Korinth'Kel was good, she always had been, but she had been trained as a Jedi Consular, not a Jedi Guardian, and Sabé had strength over her.

"What's the matter, Sabé?" Korinth'Kel purred, their faces so close to their blades as both strained against each other. "_Angry?_ But you know anger is the path to the Dark Side."

And Sabé did know, she knew that lesson better than most. She had thought that she'd known anger before when she'd lost her arm to Darth Maul when she was sixteen, but the sight of Talik –lively and bright Talik– crumpled to the ground because of her old friend's attack made her blood boil.

And that _ashamed_ her. She was a Jedi, she should have been better than that, and Master Yoda's voice rang in her ears "Forbidden, attachment is."

If this was how Sabé became when Talik was only concussed –though from a very powerful blow– then she was already destroying the idea she'd developed for several years, the idea that one could form attachments but could still act as a Jedi did.

Sabé gritted her teeth, breathing in sharply before releasing all of her anger and all her rage into the Force.

Korinth'Kel's annoyance from her doing so was clear. "You cannot defeat the Dark with your feeble Light, _Great Guide."_

"Yet the Light has always outnumbered the Dark," Sabé retorted evenly, "I wonder why that is?"

Korinth'Kel's lip curled. "You cannot run from your fate, Darth Carina."

"There is something far stronger than fate in this world," Sabé said, throwing her back only to beat her twin 'sabers against Korinth'Kel's single one and the woman had to execute a few swift moves in order to miss death by mere inches, "you used to know that."

Sabé hefted her 'sabers, spreading her legs and arms into a familiar Jar'Kai stance. "The Korinth'Kel I knew would never have done what you have. She would have never taken over an entire planet or tried to turn a fellow!"

"I have to think about the bigger picture!" Korinth'Kel's eyes were wild with an insane light. "I have seen it! I have seen what you become! I have seen what you do! I have seen the Light snuffed out by the Dark! And I have seen how the Dark now infects you, Sabé Amidala! I will be the one that starts you down that dark path!"

Sabé forced her voice not to tremble. "I believe that _you_ believe those visions…but I do not."

And Sabé's 'saber speared through Korinth'Kel, going right through her heart, killing her instantly. The body of her former friend slumped against her and Sabé caught it before it hit the ground, lowering her gently.

"I am sorry, Korinth'Kel Dorma," Sabé whispered. "I truly, _truly_ am."

There were tears wet on her cheeks as she closed Korinth'Kel's eyelids over her blankly staring eyes.

"May you become one with the Force," Sabé murmured, pressing a hand against her heart, allowing herself a brief few moments to mourn the death of her friend before crawling over to Talik to ascertain her condition.

But Talik was alive and breathing, pure and Light, and that was how Sabé always hoped she would remain.

* * *

When Kit arrived on Anobis, it was exactly as he had predicted: Sabé had things well in hand and the issue had been resolved.

"You didn't need to come out, Kit, I had it sorted," Sabé said with a bit of vexation, her braids swinging behind her as she moved towards him when he hopped out of the Starfighter.

In the past nearly four years Kit's old friend had not changed much. Her braids were longer, of course, and Sabé was considering cutting them shorter, and she had a few more scars from her Shadow missions, but she was still the girl Kit remembered meeting in the Jedi Archives, using a datapad as a shield between herself and him.

"That's what I told Master Yoda," Kit said easily, as Arthree tootled a hello to Sabé, earning the astromech a smile and a wave, "but he still asked that I check up on you…you do have a habit of running into trouble."

Sabé rested her hands on her hips, scowling at him. "That business on Endor doesn't count, Kit."

Kit raised his hands in surrender. "So, what kind of trouble did you have to deal with? A Dark Jedi?"

The light in her eyes faded completely and her lips thinned into a line before she gestured wordlessly for him to follow her. It was like there was a dark cloud weighing down on Sabé and Kit could sense regret and guilt spilling out inside her; she was practically drowning in those emotions.

"Is Talik all right?" he asked instead, noticing the void that her violet-skinned Twi'lek shadow often filled.

"Talik has a serious concussion, but it isn't anything to be worried about," Sabé said, her words stiff.

"And you?" Kit asked archly.

He had seen the ring of bruises around her throat and the exhaustion her body was nearly shaking in.

"Given the circumstances, I think I got off relatively easily," Sabé said as she led him into the transport she and Talik had taken to get to the planet's surface, taking him into the rather small medical room, in which Sabé's opponent's body had been placed in stasis and Kit's heart fell into his stomach.

He knew that face, he knew it quite well, and it wrenched at his heart.

Korinth'Kel Dorma looked as though she was sleeping, but the lack of movement from her chest dispelled any chance of that possibility, as well as the blackened hole over her heart.

"Korinth'Kel…attacked you?" Kit asked hollowly, his emotions bubbling deep beneath his skin.

Sabé nodded solemnly. "This whole thing…she took over a planet just to get to me, Kit…she was completely _mad_ from whatever she'd Seen, and she was so determined to make me become Dark…"

The Force swathed her in an attempt to comfort her in warmth, but Sabé remained cold.

"Kit," she whispered, her artificial fingers touching his arm lightly, making him turn to look at her, to see the pallor her skin had taken on, the anxiety in her eyes and in the tenseness of her jaw, "Kit, I'm _worried."_

He brought a hand up to cup hers where it rested on his arm. "Worried? Sabé, worried about what?" He had rarely seen her with such an expression on her face, and not nearly to the degree that she was currently showing.

"The Dark Side, Kit," Sabé said, her words choked and hoarse. "It's…It's _tempting me."_

Kit's words caught in his throat at that declaration, besides, sometimes he found that actions spoke louder than words, and he embraced her, feeling the trembling strain rolling off her body. "The Dark Side has tempted you before," he murmured, "and it failed."

"But—"

"Just as it will fail now," Kit said, drawing back to look at the face of one of his closest friends. He held her face in his hands. "You aren't alone, Sabé, you don't have to be afraid. You have me, and Aayla, and Obi-Wan, and Taria, and all of us."

He leaned his forehead to press against hers and Sabé closed her eyes, soaking into the warmth of the Force that he washed over her. Kit was usually very good at assuaging her fears –during the occasions that she did indeed have them– but this time it did little to help her and Sabé felt colder than ice.

* * *

"Master, are you sure you're all right?" Talik pressed when they returned to the Temple. To be completely accurate, she had questioned Sabé more than five times since they'd left Anobis, but Sabé had always waved her off.

Kit had left before them, having his own Starfighter bearing Arthree (with the promise to return him to her once he'd landed), and since he wasn't technically a part of Sabé's mission, he didn't have to remain with them.

"Yes, Talik," Sabé said with nearly a sigh, "I'm all right."

Even she couldn't have said at that moment if she was lying or not.

"Hey, you're back on-planet again!"

Sabé smiled automatically as Aayla Secura bounded into view. Her friend was the usual: the blue-skinned Twi'lek that as midriff-exposed as Sabé remembered from the last time their paths had crossed, which had been well over three weeks ago.

"Yes, Aayla," Sabé sighed as her friend threw an arm over her shoulders, "we are back. How are you?"

The dryness of her words was lost on Aayla, but not on Talik who snorted.

"They put me back on 'saber training with _younglings_, Sabé!" Aayla spoke, a horrified note in her voice. _"Younglings_, Sabé! You know they don't listen to a _thing_ you _say!"_

"That is why they're younglings, I gather," Sabé said wryly, rolling her eyes for good measure.

"But somebody keeps volunteering me for it instead of sending me off on missions!" Aayla bemoaned, leaning nearly all her weight on Sabé, which made the Nabooan female trip briefly before adjusting to the sudden weight.

"Probably because you're a hellion on missions," Sabé muttered out of the corner of her mouth, but Aayla still caught it with narrowed eyes and an elbow dug into Sabé's bruised side.

"_Ow!"_ she complained.

Aayla opened her mouth, undoubtedly to say something playful or sarcastic but the words never formed. Instead she said, "Kit told me about Korinth'Kel."

Talik's hands were hidden in her pockets, but they drew into fists at the mention of the woman who her master had been forced to kill, her old friend. Korinth'Kel Dorma's death still weighed heavily on Sabé's mind, that much had been quite clear to Talik.

"Oh, look, there's the Council door, looks like we've got to go." And Sabé was far too eager to make a quick getaway, dislodging her friend's arm so neatly that the Twi'lek fell in an unceremonious heap on the ground.

"Well, you know I'm here!" Aayla called after her as Talik jogged lightly to catch up and Sabé gave a careless wave over her shoulder before pressing the button beside the door that led into the High Council.

Explaining all that had occurred at Anobis was simple, but admitting what she'd done, what she'd felt, now that was hard.

"I find it difficult to believe that one as pure-hearted as Korinth'Kel Dorma could fall so suddenly," Master Plo Koon said in his muffled voice from his antiox breathing mask.

"She claimed that the Order failed her, Master," Sabé said with a polite incline of the head towards the Kel Dor that had originally brought her to the Temple as an infant. "Whatever vision she had, it affected her so profoundly that she willingly abandoned the Order she had sworn an oath to."

That sent a ripple of unease through the masters gathered on the High Council. Never before had visions interpreted by the Jedi Seers had the power to turn a Jedi from the path of Light to Dark. It was a startling thought.

"Convinced you, she tried, hm?" Yoda prompted and Talik looked up to her master, blinking in surprise at how she swallowed thickly.

"She made an attempt that ultimately failed," Sabé said finally. "But it was her intention to turn me."

Mace Windu considered her with his fingers knotted together on his lap. "And did she say why she desired to turn you?"

Sabé shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time someone told me I was meant to join the Dark."

"_Yours is a name destined for darkness."_ Darth Maul's words still haunted her nightmares and Sabé had to strain not to shudder in front of the High Council.

"She called me a name that I have had visions about, though," Sabé conceded under her old master's penetrating stare. "But those visions are all over the place and half of them I can't make out—"

"What is the name?" Mace Windu asked not unkindly.

Sabé took a deep breath. "Darth Carina."

Talik recoiled sharply, looking her master up and down. "I thought only the Sith have names like that."

"That, Talik," Sabé said wryly, "is what the point is."

Becoming a Dark Jedi was one thing, but becoming a Sith? If Sabé Amidala becoming a Dark Jedi was unlikely then her becoming a Sith was impossible.

"Anger from you, I felt," Yoda said with just a hint of reproach. "Anger from you, she wished."

"Yes, Master," Sabé agreed, "but I defeated her without my anger…and with the help of my young Padawan."

Talik ducked her head slightly, a flush of pleasure spreading across her cheeks.

"Unbalanced, you are," Yoda countered, "affected you deeply, Korinth'Kel Dorma's death did."

Sabé blinked, straightening her spine just slightly. "I never anticipated that I'd have to kill a friend, Master."

Yoda nodded gravely. "Hurt us the most, the ones we least expect."

Sabé said nothing to that.

"Knight Amidala, you will be sent on a two-week meditative retreat," Mace Windu said so suddenly that Sabé had to jerk to stare at the man seated beside her old master.

"Master Windu, I can't go on a meditative retreat!" she said, part stunned, and part appalled. "I have a Padawan to train! I can't just go running off because my emotions are a mess after I had to kill a friend!"

"And I suspect in your present condition you wouldn't help much with your Padawan's training."

Sabé spluttered. "'Wouldn't help much'?"

He gave her a steely stare. "That is the decision of the Council."

Sabé gaped at him, before glancing towards Yoda who nodded in agreement. Then Sabé sagged, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Very well, Masters."

She bowed swiftly with Talik moving in tandem, before both left the room.

"Concerning Korinth'Kel's vision is," Yoda said once the panel-door had slid shut behind the pair, "if a Sith she saw."

"But what could the Sith have to gain?" Plo Koon questioned. "It is clear that Sabé Amidala has always ingrained herself in the Light."

"But she has always had some frankly grey views on the Order," Pablo-Jill responded, always Sabé's staunch opposition on the Council.

"Be zat as it may," Even Piell said with his thickly accented Basic, "her views have never drifted into Dark territory."

"Still, the best course of action is to send her on a meditative retreat," the Zabrak master, Eeth Koth, who was one of the newest Masters on the High Council. "The turbulence within her is substantial enough that we can all sense it."

And it had to be substantial, because Sabé usually kept all her feelings locked up within the many shields in her mind.

* * *

Sabé frowned at the projection. "Tell her this is a call from Sabé Amidala, I'm sure she'll want to speak with me."

A meditative retreat…Sabé just wanted to rattle Mace Windu by the shoulders. She didn't need a meditative retreat, she needed to be here, on Coruscant, training her Padawan.

But Talik hadn't been too put out, though, she was largely used to the arrangement by now, seeing as whenever Sabé was sent on Shadow missions she always ended up placing Aayla in charge of her Padawan.

"Don't worry, Master," Talik said, giving her a blinding smile and a hug Sabé didn't feel she deserved, "Master Aayla's cool, and when you get back you can help me with my Jar'Kai!"

Sabé had smiled at that; Talik was nothing if not enthusiastic.

Her holo-projector in her hand gave a small beep before the image of the one she had been hoping to speak with appeared.

Padmé Amidala was now seventeen, nearly eighteen, and approaching the end of her first term as Queen of Naboo, though, if the HoloNews was to be believed, it was likely she would be elected for a second term without hardly any opposition.

Even as a blue hologram, Sabé could see that her younger sister's face was painted thick with face paint that hid her identity rather well, a useful tactic, Sabé knew, for when she switched places with her decoy.

"_Sabé,"_ Padmé smiled brightly, and Sabé returned her own, "_this is a surprise. I wasn't actually expecting you to send a Holo, usually you just send datamessages…"_

Sabé Amidala, it seemed, was exceptionally bad with no-attachments rules, especially with her family. Padmé had sent her datamessages initially just to inform her of all that was happening in the family and on Naboo, but, to her surprise, Sabé had sent her datamessages in reply. Padmé now knew quite a bit about what her old Jedi protectors and their students got up to thanks to datamessages she received from Anakin as well.

"_Some attachments are good_," Sabé had once said to Obi-Wan as he watched his Padawan write the Naboo Queen a detailed datamessage about what had happened that day with Talik interjecting things he should add. "_You can't deny a boy friends, Obi-Wan."_

"How would you feel about me dropping by for a visit?" Sabé asked her and Padmé blinked.

"_I –are you allowed to do that? I thought the Jedi—"_

"The Jedi are sanctioning me to go on a two-week long meditative retreat," Sabé responded easily, "and they didn't exactly specify where…" She smirked slyly.

Padmé was probably splitting the Scar of Remembrance with that beaming smile. And that warmed Sabé's heart more than anything else, because she had once thought their two worlds were so separate, and, in truth, they were in many ways, but Sabé had found a similarly loving soul in her sister, and it was a bond she didn't want to give up, not even for the Jedi.

**AN: Shini (myself) is an advocate for Jedi attachments, if it wasn't already obvious. And I've fallen in love with the idea of Sabé and Anakin sending Padmé datamessages, especially since it's a good way to develop Anakin and Padmé's relation a bit more than is in canon. And we all know how Sabé feels about attachment *nudges Obi-Wan in Sabé's general direction***

**I have a lot of great ideas for book two and Padmé is a part of some of them.**

**And if Anakin can go on a meditative retreat in the middle of the Clone Wars, then Sabé can do it during peacetime. Sorry that Obi-Wan and Anakin weren't in this chapter other than by name, but we can't all get what we want. There might be a mention of them in the next chapter, but if I'm planning it right, next chapter will focus on the Naberrie family**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	18. Explanations at Varykino

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Eighteen: Explanations at Varykino**

**AN: Since it was asked, what's likely to happen is that in book two we'll go into the Clone Wars, but you'll see more of the Clone Wars in book three. Book two will end soon after the start of the Clone Wars, I think.**

**Lots of agreement on the Jedi attachment rule, which is great.**

**This chapter features a character from the Clone Wars Gambit series by Karen Miller who I absolutely fell in love with.**

* * *

Obi-Wan and Anakin returned to the Temple with Siri Tachi in tow after a rather unexpected mission that had been given to them so suddenly that Obi-Wan still had whiplash. And he had to admit that he'd been a bit apprehensive about the mission, especially given Anakin's background.

The Council had sent them to accompany a Colicoid diplomatic ship. It was a mission that was intended to be delicate in nature but not dangerous, but the slave trader Krayn had complicated matters…and his right hand, Zora, who was in fact the Jedi Padawan known as Siri Tachi.

"No matter what Sabé says," Siri said with a wide yawn as she dislodged the kinks in her neck, "undercover work isn't fun."

Anakin wrinkled his nose at her. "Wouldn't the mission and the Jedi make a difference?"

Siri blinked and Obi-Wan sent a ripple of reproach towards his Padawan. "_Anakin,"_ he warned.

But Siri laughed and Obi-Wan couldn't quite remember the last time he had heard such a sound from her…perhaps when they'd both agreed to give up on their romantic feelings for each other in order to continue as Jedi.

"I suppose it would," Siri said with amusement, "besides, undercover work was never my specialty, leave that to the Shadows, they're better at getting things done."

"Well, that's something I'd never thought I'd hear Siri Tachi say," a mild voice commented.

Taria Damsin was striding towards them with Sabé Amidala at her side, her golden eyes glittering as she grinned at them.

"Taria, you're looking well," Siri spoke smoothly, her lips twitching.

And she did. The Ghaina-born female's thick blue-green hair was mounted into a high ponytail and her soft brown skin shimmered with health. Compared to Sabé, she was positively radiant, which was something Obi-Wan had never considered. It might have had to do with the fact that Sabé had a noticeable slump in her shoulders, than with the drab grey uniform she was wearing.

"Always the flatterer, Siri," Taria responded with a wink before smiling at Obi-Wan and Anakin. "So, how was the first mission with the Padawan?"

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak when a lavender blur flew through the air, tackling Anakin with a yell of his name. The next thing anyone knew, Anakin Skywalker and Talik Shala were on the ground in a tangle of limbs.

Sabé's lips twitched in faint amusement as Arthree rolled up beside her with an irritated beep.

"Going on another Shadow mission?" Obi-Wan asked her instead, drawing her eyes from their crumpled Padawans to focus on her and Sabé was sure that he noticed something off in her, if how a line appeared between his eyebrows and his lips drew down in a frown was any indicator. "Weren't you just on a mission?"

"I'm not going on a mission," Sabé said, her words slightly sour in her mouth, "the Council is sending me on a mandatory meditative retreat."

Obi-Wan stared, and he wasn't the only one; Anakin gaped and Siri positively goggled.

"What for?" Anakin asked, tugging on the loose material of her pant-leg from where he was still trapped to the floor by his friend's weight. "You meditate _all the time_, Master Sabé!"

"I think peace of mind is what they're going more for, Anakin," Sabé said with a sigh before steeling her nerves, "Korinth'Kel Dorma is dead."

"Kori –_what?"_ Siri looked as though all the air had been forced from her lungs, and Sabé felt that was a rather apt description of how she felt about the matter as well. "I –I don't understand…"

Obi-Wan was just as startled and Taria and Sabé exchanged a somber glance; that was the usual response to the news when they were informed of Korinth'Kel's passing.

Anakin and Talik disentangled themselves and Anakin looked from Jedi Knight to Jedi Knight, not all that familiar with the one of whom they spoke, other than the fact that her leaving the Jedi had been so abrupt and unexpected.

"She had a vision, I don't really know the particulars," Sabé said, tugging on one of her braids, a sign of how uncomfortable she was with the topic, but she'd already lost count how many times she'd had to recount the events that had occurred on Anobis. "Whatever she saw completely shattered her beliefs in the Order, so she left and became a Dark Jedi and decided the best course of action was to take over a planet and attempt to turn an old friend."

It didn't take a genius for the others to ascertain that by 'old friend' Sabé meant herself.

Sabé lifted a hand to rub at her eyes before forcing a smile on her face as she tilted her face to look to Siri. "But I'm glad your mission was a success, Siri."

Siri was as lovely as ever, even with her hair still dyed that horrendous orange and with that terrible hacked haircut. The facial tattoos that Sabé had pasted to her cheeks herself with semi-permanent dye were finally starting to fade.

"Only because of your input," Siri responded humbly with a wry smile of her own.

"I doubt it was just that," Taria snorted, crossing her arms before grinning widely, "we'll make a Shadow out of you yet, Siri."

"How about 'no'?"

At that, both Sabé and Taria laughed. "Well," Sabé conceded with a straight face, "it does take a certain degree of talent—"

"—the ability to blend in effortlessly—" Taria added.

"—the ability to replicate different accents—" Sabé ticked off on her fingers.

"_Oh_, and then there's always making a quick getaway without breaking cover!"

"I am surprisingly good at that," Sabé hummed in agreement, which only served to make Siri roll her eyes while Obi-Wan coughed to hide his snort; Talik and Anakin bypassed them completely, howling with laughter on the floor.

"You know I honestly wouldn't have found it surprising if you two were related," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head at the pair, though they couldn't have looked more different; Sabé with her fair complexion, brown eyes and brown hair, and Taria with her light brown complexion, golden eyes, and blue-green hair.

The pair often worked together as Shadows, and while Sabé was best friends with Aayla and Kit, she was also very close with Taria.

"Ah, but I have two sisters," Sabé said.

"And I have none!" Taria's eyes gleamed as she threw an arm around the brown-eyed Jedi's shoulders. It was a clear effort to keep her mind off of Korinth'Kel, and Obi-Wan was sure she knew it, even if she didn't mention it. "But we are the same age—"

"_Ooh_, and the same height!"

"Do we have the same taste in men? Or women, I'm not picky." Taria spared the younger Padawans a saucy wink that reduced them to giggling fits; Taria was rather good at easing the tension.

"You know, I have no idea," Sabé said thoughtfully. "I do have a Padawan, Taria, exactly how much time do you think I devote to romantic feelings?"

And was it just Obi-Wan, or was there a light flush to her cheeks as she said that.

Unfortunately, Taria caught on it to. "_Aw!_ You _do!"_

Crimson painted across Sabé's cheeks. "Oh, stop making these things up, Taria! You _know_ how I feel about you!" She batted her eyelashes and Taria faked a swoon.

"Oh, I could just _kiss you_, Sabé!"

"Restrain yourself, Taria, we wouldn't want to give anyone heart attacks," Sabé responded, brushing her braids out of her face as she checked the time on her datapad before leaning down to grasp her bag.

"Talik, if you and Anakin get into trouble, make sure you're not caught." And Talik grinned widely, bouncing on the balls of her feet while Anakin sniggered. "I'll see you all in two weeks, but I've got to catch a transport…"

Talik gave her master a last fleeting hug before Sabé turned away with Arthree whistling at her side, making her way towards the front of the Temple and Obi-Wan was filled with a sense of nostalgia…like Sabé wasn't sure if she was coming back.

* * *

"The queen has _another_ sister?"

Captain Panaka was dearly regretting his choice to bring their newest recruit with him to guard Queen Amidala from the shadows while she sat in a simple dress, looking just as ordinary as one could imagine, waiting for the transport to dock. But now she was simply Padmé Naberrie awaiting her elder sister's imminent arrival while Yané played her part in the palace.

"Yes, she has another sister," Captain Panaka said, giving the lad a glare out of the side of his eye. "No, I'm not going to tell you anything else."

The boy scowled, but there wasn't much he could say as the transport landed and people spilled out onto the street.

The queen must have seen her, because she stood with a bright grin on her lips before darting into the crowd to throw her arms around a young woman who looked startlingly similar to her, from the curve of her laughing mouth to the rosy hue of her cheeks, but the boy's eyes were drawn to the blaster holstered at her hip.

"What happened to your tunic?" the queen asked the young woman once she'd released her to look her up and down. "And your leather jerkin? And your lightsabers? You never go _anywhere_ without your lightsabers."

The newest recruit started briefly at the mention of lightsabers, which, if he was correct, were the weapons that the Jedi used…but the young woman didn't much look like a Jedi, and, besides, Jedi didn't have any family, did they?

"I left them back at the Temple," she said before turning back to whistle sharply to an R3 unit that had been blocked by the crowd. "I'm not being a Jedi for the next two weeks, besides, I never take them with me when I'm undercover, imagine what would happen if I was discovered to be a Jedi?"

The queen shook her head with a laugh, patting the astromech on its domed head before linking their arms and leading them to where her two guards were standing beside the speeder.

"Captain Panaka," Queen Amidala said with a smile, "I'm sure you remember my sister, Sabé?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," the captain responded with an easy smile and a tip of his hat to the woman now known as Sabé. "It's good to see you, Knight Amidala."

"Sabé," she corrected, "I'm on meditative retreat for the next two weeks, so Knight Amidala is just Sabé." Her pained grimace was fleeting.

"Are you_ really_ a Jedi?" the recruit blurted out and when her gaze fixed on him, he swallowed nervously, red splotches appearing on his cheekbones.

She didn't look much like a Jedi, more like a deck officer, even with the blaster holstered at her side. But there was something about the way she held herself, the way she spoke, and the way her eyes held an ancient knowledge.

"Depends on the day, really," she said blandly, brushing her braids back with her free hand, "but, usually, yes, I am Jedi Knight Sabé Amidala."

Padmé tugged on her arm. "Come on, Sabé, we've only got so long until I have to be back at the palace."

Sabé quirked an eyebrow before following her younger sister into the speeder, situating Arthree by her side. "Don't trust your decoy enough to make too many decisions without you?"

"Well, she doesn't have the added ability to read my mind."

Both sisters shared a secretive smile.

* * *

"I think she went to Naboo. You think she went to Naboo?"

Talik shoved her elbow into his side and he recoiled slightly. "I think that if Master did go anywhere, Naboo would be pretty high on the list."

Anakin wrinkled his nose at her, slumping against the table in the Jedi Archives while Talik did some research on Force-healing. "You've spent so much time with Master Che you're beginning to sound like her."

"Master Vokara is a great healer," Talik sniffed, her nose high in the air, but her glittering eyes made it clear that it was an act.

Anakin goggled at her. "She's not going to take you away from Master Sabé, is she?" That would have been utterly terrible. Anakin couldn't imagine Sabé and Talik not being master and student.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Talik gave her friend a scowl. "The only way someone's taking me away from Master is by killing one of us."

The Tatooine-born male couldn't help but snort. "That's likely." Talik was good at dodging, and what were the chances of anyone taking out Sabé Amidala? Very low, in Anakin's opinion, especially since most of the missions either of them took on didn't usually end in a fire of blaster bolts; their mission to Anobis was an outlier and not to be counted.

"I think Master was planning to take me away for three months before the Council sent her on the meditative retreat," Talik hummed, leaning back in her seat.

"Taking you away?" Anakin said flummoxed. "What for?"

"Well, when Master was still Master Yoda's Padawan he took her to the planet Dagobah for three months of training," Talik explained, "Master Aayla told me when Master came back she was more one with the Force."

"Master says she's always been in tune with the Force, that's why Yoda picked her as his student," Anakin countered, locking his arms behind his head.

Talik hit a few buttons on the computer in front of her, contemplation in her eyes. "I don't think it really works like that…like when Master agreed to train me…"

Anakin sagged his shoulders slightly. "And Obi-Wan only became my master because Qui-Gon asked him…it's not like he picked _me_."

"But _you_ picked_ him_," Talik said, reaching over to pat his arm kindly. "And he knew it even if he didn't want to admit it…Master always had a talent for telling bonds between masters and students, even if they hadn't formed it yet, that was why she was always so irritated with Master Jinn."

"Because he tried to deny his bond with Master," Anakin said, nodding; he had heard the story. Sabé had told it to him once in an effort to remind him how grateful he should be that his master didn't do the same, and he was grateful, _so grateful_ to have Obi-Wan as his master.

"At least you didn't try to shut yourself off from the Force," Talik told him sagely.

And Anakin had to agree with her there.

"Do you think she's going to get into trouble?"

"Who?" Talik asked absently, flicking through the data.

"Sabé," Anakin hissed under his breath, leaning close so he didn't have to speak very loud. "Jedi aren't allowed to have _families."_

It was quite a sore subject for the boy, Talik knew well. If Anakin had his way, he would have probably gone right back to Tatooine, freed his mother, and brought her back to Coruscant with him. Anakin had a big heart that way, but maybe he was also a bit jealous of Sabé.

"I'm not telling the Council that my master was so shaken up about killing an old friend that she _happened_ to choose her home planet to spend her meditative retreat on and that she could_ possibly_ be spending the next two weeks in the presence of her family, are you?"

There was a challenging tilt to her head.

"No, of course not," Anakin said, his words a little sulky.

"Master always said she would have been fine if she'd never known her family," Talik said, shifting her gaze from him to the computer's screen once more. "But when the Force keeps throwing you into situations like that, you have to listen…all the times Sabé's seen her family were on officially sanctioned missions, which is ironic, given the Jedi's view on familial attachment…"

Talik pursed her lips thoughtfully. "But Naboo is a very peaceful planet, if I had to pick a place to go on a two week meditative retreat, that's where I'd probably go too."

Anakin grumbled something under his breath, but Talik opted to ignore it, pulling out a spare datapad and jotting down a few notes onto its surface.

"Do you agree with the no attachments rule?" he asked his friend curiously and Talik couldn't help but sigh, her head-tails twitching down her back.

"No, but I don't make it obvious," she said dryly, tapping her fingers against the table. "The Council throw enough of a fit about Master's views that it's just easier to act like I agree with their beliefs."

Anakin grinned widely. "That's the same as lying."

Her cheeks flushed a mauve. "It is _not!"_

"It so _is!"_

"I hate you," Talik decided, wrinkling her nose at him for good measure, removing the datacards from the computer and collecting her datapads.

"No, you don't," Anakin snorted as he followed after her, his lightsaber at his belt bouncing with every movement, and it was a weight that Anakin would have to get used to.

Talik rolled her eyes at him before handing in her datacards to Madam Jocasta Nu who gave the both of them a kindly smile.

"I've got to meet Master Aayla in a training room to work on my forms, are you coming?"

"Nah," Anakin said, waving his hand carelessly, "Master's going to be helping me with mine for the next few hours."

Talik couldn't help but snort at that. She remembered all too well when Sabé had taken her on as her student and had her train endlessly in the lightsaber forms right after she'd made her lightsaber. "Well, if you're still alive afterwards, you know where to find me."

He glared.

"And if you're dead, I'll need to tell Padmé why you can't datamessage her anymore."

His glare deepened as she laughed.

* * *

Varykino was beautiful this time of the year, as Sabé came to realize, and it had been such a long time since Sabé had been back to Varykino, which had been where she and Obi-Wan had once guarded the Naberrie family –her family– and the flowers were in full bloom while the lake was a calm and clear blue.

Padmé had to return to the palace once she'd dropped Sabé off there with a jab of her finger threateningly towards her elder sister, warning her off going anywhere.

Once she had gone, Sabé had tried her hardest to meditate, but all she seemed to do was give herself a massive headache instead, which was just _perfect_, if you asked Sabé.

And it was only well into the night that Padmé finally questioned her about her arrival on Naboo.

The pair was gathered near the fireplace as it crackled, their bodies curled around a bowl of fruits.

"You haven't told…anyone else I'm here, have you?" Sabé asked after swallowing a muja berry.

By 'anyone', Padmé assumed correctly that Sabé was referring to their family.

"Not yet," Padmé said, giving her elder sister a small smile, "and not if you don't want me to…I know things have always been a bit difficult between you and Sola."

Difficult was about as delicate as one could possibly describe her relationship with the younger sister that hated absolutely everything about her. Sabé gave a small sigh. If there was one thing her family was, it was complicated.

"Sabé…why are you really here?" Padmé pressed as Sabé sat up, crossing her legs as she pulled out a shurra fruit, tossing it lightly in her hands. "In your last datamessage it seemed like everything was going great."

"It was," Sabé agreed, "which goes to show how fast things can go downhill."

Padmé stared at her in the flickering firelight. It was one thing to realize that Sabé was holding something back, it was another for Sabé to admit it herself.

"There was a mission," Sabé told her, leaning her back against the couch's edge, "a dispute on Anobis between the Zabrak colonies there that required someone with diplomatic experience and it was suggested that I go, with my experience, and I knew it would be good for Talik…she's not a very diplomatic person." Sabé gave a short chuckle. "She and Anakin, actually."

Padmé's smile prompted her to continue.

"I hadn't sensed anything was amiss until we touched down…and then all I could sense was _fear_, the whole planet was practically _saturated_ in it." Sabé swallowed thickly, her eyes distant. "There was a bomb and the explosion sent Talik flying—"

"Is Talik all right?" Padmé asked, vaguely startled. She hadn't interacted very much with her sister's Padawan learner, but the girl was fierce and fiery and it didn't take much to like her.

"She's fine, just a few bumps and bruises," Sabé waved a careless hand, "which is far better than I was, being attacked, strangled, and knocked out." She reached a hand up to massage her throat, even though the bruises had long since faded by the help of Force-healing.

"You're all right, though, right?" Padmé asked her, concern flooding her eyes.

"My injuries are healed," Sabé told her before continuing on, "the planet had apparently been taken over by a former Jedi who had left the Temple just that week…she was old friend of mine."

The bowl of fruit rattled against the ground and Sabé scowled at it until it stilled, something that earned Padmé's attention.

"Has that been happening a lot lately?" she queried, gesturing towards the bowl, but it only served to increase Sabé's annoyance.

"I have less control over the Force than an Initiate," she grumbled, raking a hand through her braids.

"Whatever happened really messed with you, didn't it?" Padmé surmised in a sage-like manner.

"That's putting it lightly," Sabé muttered before clearing her throat. "Her name was Korinth'Kel Dorma and she was exceptional."

"Like you and Anakin?"

"No one's like Anakin and myself," Sabé informed her wryly. "But Korinth'Kel had a certain_ gift_ with Force-visions."

"Like seeing the future?"

"Or the past, the Force isn't too picky," Sabé conceded. "She was a rising star in the Jedi Consulars…there aren't very many Jedi Seers to begin with, but none were more skilled than her." She picked at the stem of her fruit. "But then she had a vision and it –it essentially drove her mad."

Padmé leaned back, visibly startled. Though it was true that Padmé did know a bit more than the average person concerning matters of the Jedi Temple –and while Anakin was very open about what went on, Sabé was more controlled– there were many things she couldn't even begin to comprehend.

"That can happen?" she asked numbly.

"Visions were never my expertise…but the Korinth'Kel I knew would never have taken over a planet in order to get my attention, to try to turn me to the Dark Side, and she certainly wouldn't have tried to kill my Padawan."

Nothing was said for a few moments, then Padmé asked: "What happened to her?"

"She died."

Padmé snapped her head up to look to her sister, though Sabé did not raise her eyes to meet Padmé's, she could plainly see the pained grimace on her face that told her it was Sabé that had dealt the killing blow.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Sabé," Padmé murmured.

No wonder she'd been sent off on a meditative retreat. Padmé was sure that if she'd killed an old friend she'd be more of a mess than Sabé…but Sabé had always been the most put together of the Naberrie sisters. And Padmé could see how wrecked inside she was.

Her sister had never asked for anything, but she had asked to come home, to see Padmé…and that meant something to Padmé, so she leaned over to wrap her arms around her, holding tightly to her and feeling how Sabé shook against her.

And that was all that was needed.

**AN: So, Taria Damsin is a really great character that I literally fell in love with because she's the first Jedi I've read of being a Jedi Shadow, especially in the Republic Era, so I was really excited. It's likely you'll see more of her, since she and Sabé work in the same field.**

**The Dagobah bit was an idea I've had for awhile, even though whether or not Yoda had been to the planet before his exile is up for debate, especially since Dagobah was one of the worlds discovered to have been deleted from the Jedi Archives during the war…maybe that'll be something to look into. But I have a headcanon that Yoda and Sabé do training similar to Yoda and Luke there.**

**This is likely to be my last ASITF update before school starts on Tuesday, so…**

**As Always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW**


	19. The Jedi Order's Beginning

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Nineteen: The Jedi Order's Beginning**

**AN: Everybody's loving Talik and Anakin it seems, and that's just great, 'cause I'm practically in love with those dorks.**

**Sooner or later you'll see some hints of the Sobiwan trickle in, but this is a slow build romance, I mean, it's been four plus years since Sabé's been silently pining after Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan's not as well-adjusted to feeling romantic love as she is, so expect a lot of denial ;) **

**And I have recently discovered that Taria Damsin and Obi-Wan Kenobi were lovers at one point…that's adorable but also sad because Obi-Wan says to Anakin "I was never in love. For a short while Taria and I needed each other. And when we no longer needed each other, we parted –as friends." *sobs* This poor baby has been so starved of love, poor Obi-Wan. Well, he and Taria won't be a thing, but they'll still be friends.**

**Also: there is use of military time in this chapter, 1000 is 10:00 am.**

* * *

Obi-Wan was lying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as though it could yield him answers, but it could not. He'd read the official report on Sabé's mission to Anobis, and Korinth'Kel's body had been laid to rest soon before he, Anakin, and Siri had returned to the Temple, for which Obi-Wan was grateful; he wasn't sure he could look at the person who had done all that was detailed in the report.

It really was no wonder that Sabé had been so shaken that the Council had to practically force her to go on a meditative retreat.

Obi-Wan's eyes flickered towards the comm.-link he had left on his bedside table. He could comm her, he was sure she would pick up, but was it a good idea?

He cupped his chin in his hand, a thoughtful expression overtaking his features.

Meditative retreats typically meant there was to be no contact with the Jedi Temple during that time…but…

_Too late_, Obi-Wan had already thumbed in her comm.-link's code and a few seconds later a voice responded.

"_Amidala. I thought the Temple wouldn't be contacting me for the next two weeks?"_

"Oh, it won't," Obi-Wan said, clearing his throat, "it's just me."

There was a short pause, followed by a surprised _"Obi-Wan?"_

"I hope I didn't wake you."

Sabé's snort came out as static. _"Don't worry about it,"_ she said, _"I wasn't sleeping, I'm just reading up on some Holoarticles on the upcoming election."_

Padmé's upcoming election, Obi-Wan was sure, given Sabé's tendency to maintain her connections with her family.

"Will Padmé be winning by a landslide?" he asked lightly.

"_It does seem that way,"_ Sabé conceded with a bit of amusement. _"What gave me away?"_

"I do_ know_ you, Sabé," Obi-Wan mentioned, rolling his eyes, even if she couldn't see him.

"_Yes,"_ Sabé said, _"and what a tragedy that is."_ He could practically hear the smirk he was sure was present on her lips.

There was another moment of silence before Obi-Wan said "So, how are you?"

He could hear her exhaling a sharp breath. _"I'm dealing with it,"_ she said simply, _"it's just…not one of my best moments."_

"You saved a whole planet."

"_And killed a friend,"_ Sabé snapped. _"It's a hell of a trade off, don't you agree?"_

Obi-Wan's words caught in his throat and he opted to swallow them again before speaking. "I apologize," he said gently, "that was insensitive." He too had grown up with Korinth'Kel Dorma, but he had not shared the same Initiate Clan with her, like Sabé had (the Katarn Clan, known for being stealthy).

"_Just a touch,"_ Sabé responded dryly. _"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one, right?"_

Obi-Wan could hear the bitterness on her tongue and he wasn't quite sure what to say that could make it better.

"You aren't a bad person, Sabé," he told her with certainty, "I read the report…Korinth'Kel did a lot of bad things on Anobis."

"_She did,"_ Sabé agreed, her voice growing somber, _"but no one should have to die like that…it's my fault, I–I lost my temper."_

"Lost your temper?" Obi-Wan said blankly. He couldn't really recall a time when Sabé had been good to honest angry with anyone. He had seen her irritated and annoyed, of course, it was impossible for her not to be; irritation was practically a requirement for those with Padawans.

"_Talik…she showed up and tried to fight her off, and Korinth'Kel used the Force to choke her and throw her into the tunnel's wall,"_ Sabé replied, breathing out deeply. _"I was enraged when I attacked her."_

"Oh," Obi-Wan said in surprise, blinking owlishly. Attacking Talik would certainly earn Sabé's anger, though it rarely ended well for the person doing the attacking, since Talik was particularly fleet-footed. "But not when she died?" He stopped himself just short of saying 'But not when you killed her' because that would just have been in poor taste.

"_No,"_ Sabé said with a bit of annoyance, _"I had regained my sense by then."_

Obi-Wan's door slid open suddenly before he had a chance to reply and Anakin came in with a datapad in his hands. "Master, there's this—" Then he paused and stared from his Master to the activated comm.-link. "Maybe, I'll just come back later…"

"_Is that Anakin?"_ Sabé asked and Anakin brightened at the sound of her voice.

"Hi, Master Sabé!"

Obi-Wan ruffled his Padawan's hair good-naturedly, even as the boy shoved his hand away. "Yes," he said with a tone of amusement, "that was Anakin."

"How's Naboo?" Anakin asked with a grin, even though Sabé couldn't hear it.

Sabé's chuckle was static, but not enough that Obi-Wan and Anakin couldn't ascertain what the static was. _"Figured that out, did you?" _she asked lightly, and Obi-Wan knew her well enough to know that there was a soft smile on her lips.

She had a very lovely smile, he mused thoughtfully, before clearing his thoughts quickly.

"Well, Talik and I figured it'd be the best place to go," Anakin said, his grin making his eyes lighten. "How's Padmé?"

Obi-Wan sighed and shook his head, but Sabé was unfazed, Padmé, after all, was her sister.

"_Padmé's doing fine,"_ Sabé assured him, _"she actually gets this week off since the Naboo Royal Elections start tomorrow so the people of Naboo are going to decide whether or not they want her for a second term, but I'm fairly confident she'll win just fine, looking at the polls that have been done…"_

She sounded fairly political, Obi-Wan thought, even though there were many in the Order that had a distaste for politics and politicians. It was, he supposed, an aftereffect of having a sibling in that line of work. Ironically, he also had a certain skill with negotiating peace.

"_She's trying to take my mind off things and she thinks she's being subtle about it,"_ Sabé sighed good-naturedly. _"Am I going to tell her that? No, of course not, what kind of person do you take me for?"_

Anakin and Obi-Wan laughed as one.

"Tell her I said hi!"

"_Will do."_

"I'll just go back and, you know, tinker…" Anakin added jerking his hand back towards the door, and he pressed the button to open it before disappearing, leaving Obi-Wan a bit bemused.

"You would think he was running away," he mentioned thoughtfully.

"_I'm sure you just incite fear into young Padawans,"_ Sabé chuckled.

Obi-Wan's words came out just a touch dry. "Yes, I'm sure that's it."

Silence fell between then and Obi-Wan wasn't quite sure how to break it. "Sabé, you're not a bad person, you're a very good person who was caught in an impossible situation. And—" Obi-Wan swallowed. "And I know I'll probably never be able to understand the way you feel about certain things or comprehend how you think…but what happened to Korinth'Kel was a tragedy that you are in no way responsible for."

She didn't say anything for a few moments, but then Obi-Wan heard a sad sigh. _"Obi-Wan, you really are far too kind and the galaxy will break your heart."_

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise, a slight heat rising in his cheeks at the compliment, but he was saved from answering when she broke the connection.

And out in the outer-rim on the planet of Naboo, for the first time since Korinth'Kel's death, Sabé wept for her friend.

* * *

Padmé had declared that they were going on a walk an hour before lunch with a bright smile as she pranced into the room that she had offered Sabé the previous night.

"Padmé," Sabé groaned, having been awakened by her sister entering the room and nothing else, sleeping far longer than was her usual, no doubt owing to no longer being so weighed down with guilt from what had resulted at Anobis. "It's too _early!"_ And then she rolled over to bury her face into the pillow, which Padmé wrenched out of her grip to arch an eyebrow at her elder sister.

"It's 1000, Sabé, most people are already awake by now."

Sabé groaned but didn't discount that fact. It was rare for her to sleep in so late, usually she was the first awake, so when Talik came stumbling out of her room Sabé was either deep in meditation or working on breakfast. But it felt like it had been such a long time since Sabé had slept so well.

"Some people need their sleep," she grumbled into the pillow, ignoring her sister as much as she could.

"Well, you've had enough sleep, I think," Padmé responded, ripping her pillows away, much to Sabé's annoyance. "Come on, Sabé! We're going out!"

"Where?"

"For a walk and then lunch," Padmé piped up, "so get in the refresher and put on some clothes."

Sabé glowered at Padmé's back as she left the room, glancing down at her sleep trousers and shirt. "I _am_ wearing clothes," she murmured to herself before rubbing at her eyes and sitting up in the bed, staring blankly at the wall. Then she pulled herself into a standing position, grasping her bag of necessary items and dragging it towards the refresher.

The shower's warm jets were soothing when she stepped into the stall and turned the water on, and the kinks Sabé's body had gained in the night disappeared. It would have been nice if she could just remain in the shower for an hour –Sabé would have enjoyed that immensely– but as Padmé had said, she wanted they to go on a walk and eat lunch…so…

Sabé turned the water off, toweling dry and pulling a fresh outfit from her bag. This one wasn't nearly as drab as the one she'd been wearing the previous day, though it was still a bit dull, being a brown tunic with identical trousers. She wrung out the water from her braids and brushed her teeth before stepping out of the refresher, telling Arthree to stay in the room –and the astromech beeped in agreement– and making her way down the stairs to where Padmé was waiting for her.

Padmé, in contrast to Sabé's style, was wearing a flowing blue dress that suited her far too well, and her smile was just as bright as she swung the basket in her hand. "Ready to go?" she asked.

"I suppose," Sabé mused, before yelping as Padmé grasped her arm, tugging her out of the house (if it could honestly be considered a house, in reality, it was more like a mansion) and over the green expanse that was Varykino.

"I want you to tell me about the Jedi," Padmé said, looping her arm through Sabé's, "or your childhood, or both, I'm not too fussy."

Sabé arched an eyebrow. "Is that all?" she asked in amusement. "I was sure there would be a bit more added to the list."

She received an elbow in the side for her comment.

"All right, well… I suppose I should start with the basics," Sabé decided before correcting herself, "perhaps I should start with the beginning."

Padmé waited for her to continue.

"The Jedi Order is very old," Sabé told her, "and it was called many things before they settled on that name. And these were Force-sensitive individuals determined to keep the balance between the Light –known then as Ashla– and the Dark –known as Bogan– Side of the Force. The earliest form of the Order like what we have today was called the Je'daii Order. Sometime before the Republic was formed a conflict arose between those who used the Light and the Dark, this conflict became known as the Force Wars."

Sabé was in what Anakin commonly referred to as 'lecture-mode' (which, according to him, Obi-Wan was hardly ever out of), but the way Sabé explained things, and the subject itself kept Padmé from being bored.

"The Force Wars lasted for a decade and destroyed nearly all planet-life on Typhon, where the wars had been fought, but the Je'daii came out victorious, proclaiming their superiority over the Dark." The words twisted in Sabé's mouth.

"You don't agree?" Padmé queried.

"I think that the Jedi have always outnumbered the Sith and strength in numbers might have played a part in the matter, and the Sith often made up for numbers with skill," Sabé countered. "There have always been things about the Jedi and the Sith that I don't agree with, and things that I do."

She cleared her throat and continued the tale.

"It was after the wars' conclusion that the Je'daii's teachings of balance were abandoned and the Jedi Order was formed, embracing the Light completely. The first Jedi sought to bring peace and help those in need, but they also wanted to destroy the Dark and those they perceived as evil."

"Which is where you think they went wrong?" Padmé asked, giggling slightly when Sabé levitated them over a stream, allowing Padmé to enjoy a brief moment of weightlessness.

"I think if someone's treated like a monster long enough, that's what they become," Sabé sighed. "For claiming to have no fear, the Jedi have an awful lot of it concerning the Sith…unsurprisingly, one of the Jedi Order's founding members chose to follow the Dark Side, Jedi Master Rajivari—"

"How is it that you know all this from memory?" Padmé asked, in a bit of awe at Sabé's ability to recall information.

"The history of the Jedi Order and the Dark Side were always subjects I was fascinated with when I was younger," Sabé said with a shrug, "it's probably the reason why I chose to be a Jedi Shadow despite my training as a Jedi Guardian, now, _hush_, big sister is telling a story."

Padmé laughed and Sabé's eyes glittered.

"So, Master Rajivari and his followers, the True Dark Sons, were attacked by the Jedi and destroyed, and it was at that time that the Jedi decided to abandon Typhon and took up residence on the Ossus, opting to distance themselves from the Republic, which was a wise choice, I thought."

"Not because you don't like politicians?"

"I'm more tolerant of politicians than most," Sabé snorted, "no, it's not that. The Senate has a habit of running to us with their problems and expecting us to fix them, which is fine, because the Jedi are peacekeepers, but we should help all those in need, even those part of systems and planets not formally in the Republic."

"Like Tatooine," Padmé voiced her thought.

"Yes, like Tatooine," Sabé said sadly, "Anakin's with me there, he's still angry about how the Order can't help free people from enslavement."

Padmé winced. _Of course he was. He wouldn't be Anakin if he wasn't._

"And Ossus…oh, I_ wish _I could go there to visit sometime," Sabé sighed with longing. "Maybe I should lie and say I've sensed Darkness around the planet and claim there might be a Sith artifact there…but the Council of First Knowledge would know."

"They can tell when you're lying?" Padmé knew that there were four Jedi Councils –as Talik had informed her once she'd snatched the datapad from Anakin–: the High Council, the Council of Reassignment, the Council of Reconciliation, and the Council of First Knowledge. But she was too enraptured in what Sabé told her to ask for clarification, though it was very likely that Sabé would at some point circle back to what that Council did.

"They'd be able to sense it, I'm sure," Sabé said dryly, rolling her eyes for good measure. "I may be strong in the Force, but I lack the control that they've attained through years of experience."

"Anyways," she added, "back to the Jedi Order on Ossus…it was at that time that they chose to limit individuality and become more exclusive, which is perhaps when the age limit for training came into being, the ancient texts were never quite specific about that. And then the Great Schism happened, with a Jedi by the name of Xendor leaving the Jedi peacefully to form his own academy, it was only when he gained a number of followers –who were called the Legions of Lettow– that the Order deemed him to be enough of a threat."

Padmé frowned thoughtfully. "Were they following the Dark Side?"

"Well, yes," Sabé conceded, cupping her chin, "but I think the Jedi's ways drove him to that, and then punished him for it…I'm not entirely sure if I would call him Dark… some time after that the Jedi joined the Republic, only to break away during the time of Chancellor Contispex I."

"Anyone in their right mind would have," Padmé agreed with a shiver. She remembered learning about that Chancellor in class, the devastation he had caused in the form of war, purges, and genocide wasn't something anyone would be likely to forget, even if it had occurred some eons ago.

"A lot of questionable decisions were made by the Jedi Order during that time," Sabé added with a frown. "They were convinced to abandon isolationism and join the fight and assisting in placing a virus on some of Contispex' cathedral ship before arresting him and placing the Grandmaster at the time in charge of the Senate, which is a terrible idea, frankly, a Jedi should never be in a position of power."

Padmé drew her up short by tightening her grip on her sister's arm.

Sabé blinked. "What is it?" she asked.

"This is a good spot to lay the blanket, don't you think?" Padmé asked, laughing at the surprise on her sister's face. "You forgot the whole reason for what we were walking around for was, didn't you?"

Embarrassment made an appearance on Sabé's face as she tugged on one of her braids. "Sorry, I'm really passionate about our ancient history."

Padmé gave her a smile. "I don't mind, I'm learning a lot." And truly, she didn't.

"It'd probably be better if I just sent you some information from the Jedi Archives," Sabé decided as she pulled on the opposite ends of the blanket that Padmé had pulled out of the basket.

"Can you do that?" Padmé asked in surprise. "Doesn't the Jedi Order limit it to only Jedi?"

"Well, generally," Sabé couldn't deny that. "But who's going to know that I'm not checking some datapads out for myself but for my younger sister?"

"You are _incorrigible,"_ Padmé said in awe before dropping herself onto the blanket, which Sabé followed suit, flicking a few stray braids over one shoulder. "I do try."

They both laughed as clear and bright as the sun shining above.

* * *

Even Piell was one of the few in the Jedi Temple who served on two Councils, the High Council and the Council of First Knowledge, but the Council of First Knowledge didn't meet formally more than once a week, usually, but this was not a usual meeting.

This meeting was to discuss the replacement for the last member of the Council that had rotated out. The Council of First Knowledge was made up of five Jedi, not limiting to Masters, like the High Council, with a single permanent member who was known as the Caretaker of First Knowledge, and that was a Jedi Master by the name of T'un, he was a human male into his fifties, though he still had the strength of his youth.

"She is a bit young," Even Piell said as the centered holographic projector displayed the information alongside Sabé Amidala's image. "Only twenty-eight years of age."

"Master Piell, you will remember when I was volunteered, I was twenty-six," commented Jedi Knight Maw, a Boltrunian with a voice like rocks crushing against one another. "It is not youth that matters, but experience."

Even Piell gave a nod, conceding the point as Jocasta Nu spoke.

"She certainly has a love for the knowledge contained in the Jedi Archives, as well as a skill for seeking out Dark Side artifacts," the Chief Librarian said, "there can be no denying that. She is an exceptional Jedi Shadow…but _will she be suited on this Council_, I believe would be a better question."

T'un glanced between the three members –one Jedi Master, one revered librarian, and one Jedi Shadow with a deadly streak– before opening his mouth. "Is there no one else any of you would believe more suitable for this position?"

And silence followed that pronouncement. Maybe when a few years had passed and new members would be chosen would there be a few more contenders for the spot.

Taria Damsin was a good choice, but Sabé had more successes than the Ghainian, though it was possible when it came time to choose her replacement that she would be a good choice to succeed her.

"Then we are agreed," T'un spoke solemnly. "Knight Maw, will you inform your fellow of our decision once she returns from her meditative retreat."

Maw bowed as best as he could in his seat. "It would be my pleasure, Master T'un."

And then the meeting was adjourned and he left swiftly in search of Sabé Amidala's young Padawan learner. She wasn't very difficult to find; Master Che was positively raving about the girl's promise in the use of Force-healing.

"Do you suppose Master Sabé will be too annoyed with me if I try to reprogram Arthree?" came a young voice from one of the Force-healing training rooms and Maw followed it to see Anakin Skywalker with his legs propped onto the cot, his pant-leg rolled up to show a burn that could have only been made during 'saber practice.

He didn't seem to notice the wound, focusing on a datapad in his hands, while Talik Shala placed her violet-skinned hands on her friend's leg, a bead of sweat appearing on her brow as she attempted to heal the injury, but it was slow work.

"I think she might hand you over to Master Obi-Wan for punishment."

"_Nah,"_ Anakin disagreed, "Master Sabé's too nice for that."

Maw cleared his throat and Anakin jolted, knocking the datapad to the floor and Talik was so startled that she yelped and ended up on her rear, staring up at the one who had interrupted her, and then she was on her feet giving a short bow. "Master Maw," she said, embarrassment turning her skin a dark purple, "we weren't expecting you."

"Evidently," the Jedi Shadow said in what sounded like a grumble, "Padawan Shala, please inform your master once she returns that I need to speak with her."

"Um," Talik swallowed, "all right."

When he was gone, Anakin looked at Talik owlishly. "Who was that?"

"That's Master Maw, he's a Jedi Shadow and Master's superior," Talik hissed back, "and he's on the Council of First Knowledge!"

Anakin gave a low whistle. "What did your master do?"

"I have no idea," Talik said faintly. "But Master Maw didn't look angry, so that's got to count for something, right?"

Anakin gave her a dubious look and she poked his burn with her finger, making him recoil. "_Ow!_ Hey! What're you _doing?"_

"Do you want to be healed or not, nerfherder?"

"Sleemo," Anakin muttered.

"I heard that!"

**AN: So, there's a lot of history in this chapter, sorry about that, but Padmé's going to come out knowing a bit more about the Jedi than most, which I am all over. Next chapter will deal more with Jedi traditions and Sabé's childhood as well as the Naberries possibly making an appearance.**

**The Jedi Maw actually ends up as a Dark Jedi after the Great Jedi Purge, but before that he was a Jedi Shadow, like Sabé, and you all know just how much I love Jedi Shadows. **

**And I'm all about the Council of First Knowledge, I'm practically in love with it.**

**I don't know if I'll update soon, mostly because my obsession with Star Wars is fading, but we'll see, until next time!**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	20. Reconciliation of Sisters

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Twenty: Reconciliation of Sisters**

**AN: It seems people are excited about Sabé being on the Council of First Knowledge, and so am I, I hadn't originally intended on her being on it, but, being who I am, I did some research into that Council and fell in love.**

**In other news, I am determined to get A Shift in the Force's review count up to 100 before my obsession with this fic fails…so, if you're very lucky, there might be another chapter after this one, but I make no promises.**

**Also: Book Two might end up being longer than I had originally anticipated because of the sheer amount of things that I want to happen in it (seriously, I've written down a whole page of plot points in my fanfic notebook and its bloody fabulous), but it'll all be good, I promise.**

* * *

The sun was high in the sky as Padmé and Sabé lazed around on the blanket spread over the grass.

"Now you have to tell me about growing up in the Temple," Padmé pressed, the wine in her glass swirling precariously as she leaned forward eagerly.

"Oh, I don't _know,"_ Sabé gave an exaggerated sigh and Padmé gave her shoulder a shove.

"_Sabé!"_ she complained.

"All right, all right," Sabé acquiesced with a laugh. "When I came to the Temple, I was just a baby so I spent a lot of time in the crèche, but once we were old enough, we were all placed in Initiate Clans…you can think of them as groups of children –boys and girls– that room together until they are either chosen to be Padawans or sent off to one of the Jedi Service Corps if they aren't." Sabé grimaced, remembering when Obi-Wan had been sent off for Bandomeer with the AgriCorps.

"Not everyone gets to be a Padawan?" Padmé asked her. "Like with how the Council didn't want Anakin to be trained?"

"The Council's very particular about the training of younglings," Sabé said, rolling her eyes. "It's one of the reasons I disagree so much with them. If you have enough midi-chlorians to be considered for Jedi training, then you _should_ be trained as a Jedi, regardless of the age you are when you're admitted…but the Council believes once you reach a certain age you can no longer be trained, and if you reach thirteen and haven't gained a master, they ship you off –and you don't get to go back to your family, either, you go to one of the Service Corps, which is basically like saying _'Sorry, you're not good enough to be a Jedi, but since you've learned all this, we're going to put you where we can keep an eye on you'_…though there are a few that actually choose the Jedi Service Corps, so…" Sabé scratched her cheek thoughtfully.

There were a lot of exceptional Force-sensitives among the Jedi Service Corps who could have been great if they hadn't been denied the opportunity.

"Aayla and Kit and I were in the same clan, that's how we became friends," Sabé explained, bringing Padmé back to what she'd been talking about before she'd been distracted, before chuckling. "Aayla and him were pretty much inseparable and I was painfully shy."

"You _were?"_ Padmé's eyes widened. She couldn't believe that with how Sabé was nowadays. She was fierce and fearless, even if it meant going against the Council's beliefs (and Padmé got the feeling that she did that an awful lot). "Why?"

"When you're part of a prophecy and have more midi-chlorians than the grandmaster, people start to talk," Sabé said dryly. "And then they watch you…I became very self-conscious. Everyone expected me to be exceptional, so I became ordinary."

Padmé's eyes softened. She remembered a datamessage that Anakin had sent some time back. _'Master tries, but he doesn't really get it, and Master Sabé does! She says I shouldn't let what others say bother me, people are always going to say things, but I'm not as good as her at it…'_

"Of course, Master Yoda saw through me without much trouble…just when the Council was about to come to a decision about retesting my blood for midi-chlorians, too," Sabé lamented. "It would have been nice to see the looks on their faces when the numbers came back the same."

A small laugh escaped Padmé's lips at that.

"So Aayla and Kit pulled me out of my shell bit by bit…you should have seen me when I first met Obi-Wan…that was embarrassing."

"Why? What happened?" Padmé asked, trying to imagine the somewhat-stiff Jedi as a child, but it didn't quite come out right.

Sabé smiled sheepishly, running a hand through her braids. "Well, um, I kind of crashed into him with an armful of datapads. He helped me pick them up and didn't say anything about my red face…by the stars, it was _embarrassing!"_

"Sounds like something he'd do," Padmé giggled, "not mentioning your red face, I mean."

Sabé spared her a glare.

"How did you lose your arm?" Padmé couldn't help but ask. It had never seemed right to ask, especially back when Padmé was younger, when the fair skin around where the durasteel ended and flesh began had been red and raw.

"That was a few years later when I was off investigating the source of some mild poison that had been introduced to the Initiates…I'd sent Aayla and Kit off to get a sample of the poison to the Temple so that they could come up with an antidote, I was meant to follow them, but I…I got distracted," Sabé admitted.

"By what?" Padmé asked, enraptured.

"I sensed something…something Dark, and—"

"The Dark Side clouds everything," Padmé finished for her and Sabé blinked a few times staring at her. "Talik might have mentioned it once, you know, once she'd stolen the datapad from Anakin."

"Well, she has picked up a few things from me," Sabé admitted judgingly, cupping her chin in her hand. "But yes, it does…and followed its trail to the one we now know as Darth Maul."

Padmé's mouth went dry. "You mean the Sith on Naboo that killed Master Jinn?"

"The very same," Sabé replied gravely, "he called me by my birth name, a name that only Master Plo Koon knew amongst the Jedi, as he was the one that brought me to the Temple in the first place…so it was a bit unnerving to hear it from someone I'd never met."

"Which was why you came back, to make sure that we were safe," Padmé surmised.

"Partly," Sabé conceded, leaning back until her back was resting against the blanket and her eyes were focused upwards to the impossibly blue sky. "Partly because Master Yoda was concerned about how someone entrenched in the Dark Side could know something about me that is never spoken of."

Sabé lifted her hand up, admiring the silver sheen of the durasteel as she drew her fingers inwards to her palm and then out once more. She had gotten used to how the artificial hand felt over the years and it was almost the same as having a hand of flesh, but Sabé did regret having it in the stead of a real one.

"Anyways, we dueled, and he was far better than I was…so I lost my arm." She gave a careless shrug that had Padmé staring. She couldn't have imagined herself being so unperturbed about an amputation, but this was Sabé she was talking about.

"I never did find it," Sabé lamented with a sigh, "maybe if I'd had time during the Battle for Theed I could've questioned him about it, but oh well."

Padmé giggled and Sabé's eyes twinkled as she spared her a small smile.

They settled into a calm silence, merely watching the clouds lazily move across the sky. Sabé supposed that if she had grown up on Naboo, she would have to the lake retreat quite often with the rest of the family…Sabé had attempted to imagine it once when she and Obi-Wan had been stationed there to oversee the safety of Governor Naberrie and his family (which was to say her father and her family), but it had never come out quite right.

Besides, what would she have been if she wasn't a Jedi? A house-wife like Sola?

Sabé grimaced at the thought. She had never had much of an interest in marriage, but she couldn't fault her sister for finding it preferable; the culture of Naboo had always been a bit enthusiastic about children, which was why it had struck Sabé's mother, Jobal, so hard when she thought she wouldn't be able to have any.

Perhaps she would have gone into politics like Padmé had…but ultimately Sabé found that the life of a Jedi was far more preferable. And she would bear Sola's anger at her for her supposed abandonment of her family for the sake of the place where she had found a home.

"You can tell them I'm here," Sabé told her sister finally, turning to look at her, "I wouldn't mind seeing them."

And Padmé's wide smile made her look away and wonder if that was the best course of action.

* * *

"Do you think Master Sabé's ever been in love?"

It was a remarkably odd conversation that Obi-Wan had walked into as he and Aayla came across Talik and Anakin fiddling with their lightsabers and a few training ones that were heavier to handle –in order to get them used to the prospect of perhaps having to fight with a lightsaber other than their own, which was distinct possibility– and Obi-Wan wasn't quite sure what to make of the knowing smirk on Aayla's lips.

"I never really thought about it," Talik admitted, her hands pausing over weighted durasteel. "Master's pretty private about that kind of stuff…but it wouldn't surprise me, Master never agreed about the Order's view on no attachment."

Anakin hummed in agreement. "Well, 'can't fault her for that, it's a stupid rule."

Obi-Wan smiled slightly softly at the bitterness in his Padawan's voice.

"Besides," Anakin added, "who would she be in love with? Another Jedi?"

"I dunno who else Master really spends time with," Talik responded with a shrug before ticking some Jedi off on her fingers. "There's Aayla, Kit, Obi-Wan—"

"Master with Master Sabé?" Anakin asked, grinning widely. "Master's a stickler for the rules, he'd _never!"_

"Admit it, they'd be pretty cute together."

Obi-Wan started in surprise, glancing towards Aayla who had stuck her whole fist into her mouth to keep from laughing so he ignored her, moving on light feet until he was behind them before kneeling swiftly.

"Thank you for that, Talik," he said dryly, and both Padawans jolted in startled surprise, reeling away from him as Aayla released her mouth and positively howled with laughter.

"_M-Master!"_

"Master Obi-Wan! Um –didn't see you there!" Talik flushed a dark mauve, dropping the lightsabers in her hands to clatter to the ground heavily.

"Evidently," Aayla snorted, striding forward with a smirk on her lips. "You two need to work on your Force-sense."

"Yes, Master Aayla," both of them intoned.

"And what Master Sabé feels is up to her," Aayla added, giving them both a significant look.

"So you're saying she has been in love before!" Talik said, her voice triumphant as she jabbed her finger towards the blue-skinned Twi'lek.

Aayla arched an eyebrow. "Like I said, that's her business."

Besides, Aayla would be breaking several promises to Sabé if she told the truth of Sabé's heart. And, Sabé wouldn't appreciate her flat out saying "Talik, yes, your master has been in love before, in fact, she's in love right now, with Master Obi-Wan! Can you believe that?"

Talik pouted. "That's no fun."

"That's what friendship's all about, Talik," Aayla laughed, "keeping each other's darkest secrets."

"Are they really that dark?" Anakin asked with a bit doubt and Obi-Wan chuckled whilst Aayla smiled wryly.

"Depends which of us you ask," she replied with dark eyes glittering.

* * *

"So, how is it playing master again?" Kit asked Aayla as she poured him a generous cup of tea before taking a long swig from her own.

"It's all right," Aayla said with a shrug. "Talik's a good kid."

"She is," Kit agreed, "maybe you should consider taking on your own student, Aayla. You're a great teacher."

"I'm sure I could be but…" Aayla had her own misgivings. She raised a hand to her brow where there a pale circular scar, almost hidden by the color of her skin. She still remembered her brush with the Dark Side…how her uncle Pol Secura had fed her glitteryll to make her forget her life with the Jedi, that she even had been a Jedi…how she'd helped the Dark Jedi Volfe Karkko…

There were some things she'd never be able to forgive herself for, and she was determined not to pass on any teachings to a Padawan that would cause the same as what she had experienced.

Kit's fingers were cool as they took the place of hers over the scar she'd received from a sharp jolt of Force-lightning and her skin tingled.

"None of what happened then was your fault," Kit said gently, before moving his hand so he was instead cupping her cheek, a movement that made Aayla feel uncommonly warm.

"I know," she said with a sigh, holding his hand to her cheek, "but I don't want anyone to learn about the Dark Side the way I did."

"Sabé would say that the best way to learn about it would be to experience it firsthand…if only for a moment," Kit remarked, smoothing his thumb across her skin in a soothing manner that Aayla knew was completely wrong; they both knew it was completely wrong, but they were with Sabé on her view on attachments, as they always had been.

"She would," Aayla chuckled in agreement. "But you can't say that my experiences and hers are one and the same."

Kit tilted his head, a head-tress falling over one shoulder. "No, you cannot, but certain similarities cannot be denied."

"Besides, Talik practically half mine," Aayla joked, "you know, since Sabé always foists her off to me when she's gone."

"She trusts you the most," Kit said.

"That's not it and you know it," Aayla snapped, her eyes cold and hard. "Sabé's undercover missions are dangerous, Kit…_she_ knows it and_ we_ know it…she hands Talik off to me in the case that she dies on a mission and someone else has to finish her training."

Like what had happened to Aayla; first being apprenticed to Quinlan Vos, and then to Vos' master, Tholme, once the Council had decided that their collective closeness to the Dark Side would prove too dangerous (and her master hadn't even fought to keep her, something that still incensed Aayla).

"_Aayla…"_

Aayla jerked away from his touch. "I am _worried_, Kit…what if one day she doesn't come back? What if I have to tell Talik one day that her master isn't coming back?"

Kit squeezed her hand. "Sabé's not completely reckless, Aayla, besides, what are the chances of her leaving Talik on her own without a fight?"

The two laughed, not noticing the young Padawan practicing her Force-hearing in the next room, keeping her presence shadowed even as she blinked furiously, settling into a fitful sleep, having a horrible nightmare about her master screaming in pain and the sudden break of their Master-Padawan bond.

And Talik Shala awoke terrified the next morning.

* * *

"Please be civil, Sola, she's your sister," Jobal sighed, noting the frown on her daughter's face as Sola resituated her daughter in her arms.

"I'm well aware of that, thank you very much, Mother," she said stiffly as her husband stirred restlessly beside her.

"Sola," her father warned from the front seat of the speeder, "please. Your sister is only here until next week…"

Sola gave a childish huff, before looking away as her two-year-old daughter Ryoo tugged on the end of her ponytail while her husband, Darred, watching in silent surprise.

He had known about the missing Naberrie sister, of course, there had been many rumors over the years about Governor Ruwee Naberrie's missing child, but it had only been known since a few years ago that she had become a Jedi…yet Darred had never heard of a Jedi going by the name Naberrie, though, there were an awful lot of Jedi and they were hardly in the HoloNews, so he wouldn't really have known.

He knew very little about Sola and Padmé's elder sister, Sabé, other that the basics, of course, that Sabé was the eldest of the three, being four years older than Sola, and she and Sola had never really gotten along. (And if Darred knew that was mostly his wife's fault, he kept his mouth shut)

Ruwee parked the speeder outside the door that was already open, with a smiling Padmé framed in the doorway.

"Mom, Dad, Sola, Darred! Come in!"

Sola laughed as they approached and she could see Padmé holding out her hands eagerly for her niece. "Hand her over, Sola!"

Sola rolled her eyes and handed her daughter over only for Ryoo to eagerly fist her aunt's curly hair.

"_Aw!_ Did you miss me, Ryoo?" Padmé cooed as she rocked the young child in her arms and Ryoo giggled, bobbing her head, though it was difficult to tell if it was actually from her question or whether she liked the movement; knowing Ryoo, it was probably both.

"Is she inside?" Jobal asked Padmé eagerly and Sola's mouth thinned into a line. Of course her mother would ask about Sabé not one minute into their arrival at Varykino.

"Yeah, she's on the veranda," Padmé said nodding back into the house. "But I think Sola should go see her first."

Sola was flummoxed. "Why?"

Padmé gave her a look that made it clear that she thought it was rather obvious, and she wasn't wrong. And Sola knew better than to argue with her baby sister, so she stepped past her until she reached the open balcony.

Sabé was standing close to the balcony's edge, she might have been staring out at the lake if not for the fact that her eyes were closed.

Sola hadn't seen her up close in years, but now she could see that Sabé was a few inches taller and her resemblance to Padmé was even more startling (really, was it any wonder she'd temporarily acted as Padmé's decoy?), even with her hair still gathered in those multitude of braids with a few stray beads thrown in here and there. She was dressed in a simple tunic and trousers, like she preferred, no doubt, but that didn't dull her beauty.

She could have grown up as their sister, but she chose the Jedi over her own family.

Sabé opened her eyes and they were the same brown as Padmé and her mother's.

"I can sense your frustration with me," she said lightly, turning to look on her younger sister and Sola swallowed, stiffening her spine.

"Really? I wasn't aware," she said coolly, and Sabé arched an eyebrow. "Why are you here?"

Emotion clouded Sabé's eyes, but Sola couldn't read them; they were far too complex and disappeared far too fast. "Mandatory meditative leave as order by the High Council."

Sola crossed her arms. "They sent you to your home-planet?"

A sheepish smile warmed Sabé's lips. "Well, they aren't entirely aware that I'm here…they didn't quite specify where I was to spend my time, only that it not be on Coruscant."

The younger of the two couldn't help but be surprised. Jedi had always seemed so steadfast to their rules –and Sola was long familiar with the rule that forbade attachment with the Jedi, which had been the explanation as to why she couldn't see her sister when she was younger– but here was Sabé, breaking the biggest one.

"Why did they send you away?" she asked instead, curiosity rearing its ugly head.

"I—" Sabé's gaze flitted back over the lake, her brow creasing. "I was forced to kill an old friend…it affected me deeply so they sent me away."

_To gather her wits, no doubt_, Sola presumed.

"I'm sorry about your old friend," she said quietly, as gently as she could manage. "I can't imagine what that was like."

"I wouldn't want you to," Sabé said, looking to her suddenly and Sola, who had taken a step forward, took another back. "I know you're still angry with me, Sola, but I need you to understand that I do love you –in a way that the Council doesn't approve of– but the Jedi have my love as well, and my loyalty."

They were finally having the talk they should have years ago and Sola swallowed.

"You could leave," she said, "you could choose us."

Sabé sighed, leaning against the edge of the balcony and she looked so much older in that instant.

"Oh, Sola," she murmured, "what would happen if I left the Order? What would I do? What would be my _purpose?"_

Sola opened her mouth to speak, but the words died in her throat. Honestly, she had no idea.

"I am good at something that many aren't," Sabé said, her eyes imploring, "I specialize in a field that few have the skill to…I am a Jedi and I always will be."

All that anger that Sola had pent up over the years went out of her in a single loud exhale of breath. She really should have known better, asking Sabé to not be a Jedi was like asked Padmé to not go into politics; useless and impossible.

"I know you don't know me very well and I know you can't understand why I do the things that I do," Sabé gently, walking forward and extending her hand to her sister –the silver-plated hand that had once made Sola recoil in horror–, the hand that she'd lost in service to the Order she was so fond of. "But please understand that I love you, I love my family, whether it's here or on Coruscant."

Sola blinked furiously, raising her own hand, hovering it over her sister's prosthetic for a brief few moments before her hand met Sabé's. "You," she swallowed, "you never said that before, that you _love _us."

Sabé arched an eyebrow. "I thought it went without saying," she remarked blandly, and for the first time since their very first meeting, Sola laughed, laughed so much that she had to brace her hands to her knees to stay upright.

And when she straightened up, she was wiping tears from her eyes, but Sabé couldn't tell if they were from her laughter or from the conversation.

"Maybe you should've been a bit more upfront," Sola wheezed and Sabé cracked a smile.

"I'll take it under advisement," she promised with eyes that glinted amber in the light.

And suddenly she looked so very much unlike Padmé…more calm and subdued and with an aura mystery around her.

She looked like the Jedi Knight Sabé Amidala and Sola wondered why she had ever thought if she yelled enough at her that she would change her ways. Sabé had just been born special, there was no changing that, all that was left to do was adapt to it.

So Sola threw her arms around Sabé, surprising her –judging how she stiffened before relaxing into the hug–, but then she drew her own arms around her back. Sola buried her face into Sabé's shoulder.

"Is it dangerous? What you do?" she whispered.

"Some days more than others," Sabé said simply and Sola couldn't tell if that was the truth or a lie.

And Sola was proud, at last, to be the sister of Sabé Amidala, Jedi Knight of the Republic.

**AN: So, Sabé and Sola finally make up, great, right? Sola's not going to be a very important character in this fic, but you will see her crop up from time to time. She should show up in either book three or four…depending on where I end book three…**

**Some little tidbits about Aayla's past…I think Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan were originally the same age, but for the purpose of this fic, he's a little older.**

**Also: Aayla and Kit had feelings for each other in canon, and I love them so much that I'm going to build it up in this fic…I believe they will be employing Sabé's theory of attachment that doesn't affect their ability to be Jedi.**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	21. Departure From Naboo

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Twenty-One: Departure From Naboo**

**AN: I guess there was some love for Aayla and Kit being adorable, worry not, there is more to come, but they'll feel a bit awkward about their fledging romance, given Sabé's current situation with Obi-Wan.**

**The review count is almost into the triple digits now, which is really exciting, since this fic was one of my more minor fics, yet its suddenly become the third longest fic I've written in a surprisingly short amount of time.**

**Sadly, all the really good stuff happens when Talik is fifteen or sixteen, but I've still got ideas to fill the spaces in between, and one day the importance of Talik's dream will show up and you'll all die, but until then… ;)**

**In other news: FFnet has been being a little wonky for me, but I can't tell if its actually me or if its ffnet or my email being annoying, because it didn't say I'd updated Looking Beyond when I had and it didn't tell me when I got a review for this fic, when I know I did…but whatever, hopefully we won't have any kind of problems with this fic.**

* * *

"You must be Sola's husband."

Darred started at the voice before looking up from rocking his daughter in his arms –once Padmé had reluctantly relinquished her to his arms once more– to stare at the speaker.

He wasn't quite sure what he'd been expecting of the eldest Naberrie daughter, but he hadn't expected her to share so many similar facial features with Padmé; their likeness was uncanny. But he could see some of Sola in her in the shape of her eyes and the curve of her jaw; the relation was undeniable.

The Jedi gave a kindly smile. "I'm Sabé Amidala."

"I'd gathered," Darred responded easily as his daughter reached out for the young woman eagerly, much to her bemusement and his befuddlement, "I'm Darred and this little beauty is Ryoo."

"'Elo!" Ryoo said brightly to her aunt, her blue eyes fastening on the many multitude of braids that Sabé's hair was bound in.

"Hello, little one," Sabé said, leaning forward with a bright smile, "I'm your aunt, Sabé."

Ryoo babbled excitedly. "Sa-_bee,"_ she said, mangling her name like she did Padmé's, but Sabé didn't appear to mind.

"It's nice to meet you," Darred added, "I've never met a Jedi before."

And she certainly didn't look like any he'd seen in the HoloNews. She wore a simple tunic and trousers that gave no indication of her affiliation to the Jedi Order, not even a billowing cloak.

"Well, there are far more impressive Jedi than I," Sabé laughed for good measure. "My old master is the most powerful Jedi in the Order, so compared to him I'm a bit…" She gave a helpless shrug and Padmé appeared at her side, throwing an arm over her sister's shoulders.

"My sister, so _modest,"_ Padmé said, a wide grin gracing her lips and Darred got the feeling that she was very much enjoying having her eldest sister around. "She once sent a droideka through the wall of the throne room during the Battle for Theed."

Sabé arched an eyebrow and Darred stared. "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, besides, I was your decoy then, remember?"

And then they both laughed as if from an inside joke.

* * *

"It's_ so_ good to have you back, Sabé."

Sabé wasn't sure if she'd seen her mother so pleased to see her since the time she and Obi-Wan had been sent to guard the Naberries, but she took it in stride.

"Well, it's only until the end of the week," she said, spinning her meat around on her fork as Jobal reached across the table to squeeze her hand.

"It's enough," she said softly. It wasn't enough, but it would have to do; Sabé was a Jedi after all, and she was already breaking at least two rules.

"How is the young Jedi you were with last time?" her father asked her before she could manage to get a swallow in, and Sola –who was currently feeding Ryoo– shot her an amused smirk. "I understand his master was the one that was killed during the battle."

"Obi-Wan's doing fine," Sabé said before correcting herself, "well, as fine as you can be with Anakin Skywalker as your Padawan."

And then she managed to swallow a bite of food before anyone could stop her.

"He and my Padawan, Talik, get into a good bit of trouble and it kind of drives him a little mad," she admitted with a small laugh.

She could remember a time that they had introduced semi-permanent blue dye into the Temple's shower system –Sabé, living out of the Temple, was saved that fate–, dying the hair and skin of everyone that showered that morning. The dye rubbed off the skin easily, but the blue color remained in the hair of those Jedi who were capable of growing hair.

Obi-Wan hadn't been pleased, but it had been a bit difficult to take him seriously with a head of blue hair.

Sabé had waited until Obi-Wan was finished ranting before kneeling down in front of them, a hand on one of their shoulders as she looked them dead in the eye, before saying, "Next time try to be a bit more subtle, you two, really, blue is far too obvious."

They had positively beamed, whilst Obi-Wan had simply placed his face into his hand and gave a loud sigh.

"Obi-Wan just needs to loosen up a little," Padmé laughed from her left side.

Sabé held up her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart. "Just a little. He's the ideal Jedi, following all the rules—"

"And then there's you," Sola said dryly, "the one that likes to stomp the rules into tiny pieces."

Sabé made a 'so-so' gesture with her hand. "Not all the rules, just the ones I don't particularly don't like –you probably shouldn't drink that," she said suddenly to Sola, who had reached for her glass of untouched wine.

Sola paused, eyeing the glass strangely. "Why? Is there something wrong with it?"

Her elder sister gave her an odd look. "I was under the impression that alcohol has a negative effect on a developing baby."

Silence fell around the table and Sola and Darred looked to one another, stunned by the prospect of having another child.

"Oh…I guess that's a bit of a surprise, then," Sabé said awkwardly before Jobal leapt out of her chair to hug Sola exuberantly in a way that was downright frightening.

Padmé elbowed her in the side. "Looks like we're going to be aunts again, won't that be fun?"

Sabé wouldn't have known, she'd only just found out about being an aunt.

* * *

"How did you know I was pregnant?" Sola asked her, later that night as Sabé curled herself close to the fire with a datapad held loosely in her hand.

"It's a matter of sensing the baby's presence," Sabé said, looking up to smile at her. "Your presence is different from your baby's, it's relatively easy to differentiate between the two, if you've got the training to do so."

Sabé closed her eyes and raised her hand to hover in front of Sola, making a circular motion briefly before settling on Sola's stomach and Sola watching her impatiently as Sabé smiled absently.

"Do you want to know if it will be a girl or boy?" she asked Sola, opening her eyes.

"It's going to be a girl, isn't it?" Sola asked shrewdly. Their father had only had girls, after all, and it seemed like she was continuing the trend.

Sabé smiled. "Yes, it seems so…she'll be healthy but born a little early."

"Why?" Sola asked startled.

Sabé shrugged, removing her hand and leaning back in her seat. "I can't be certain…the Force doesn't show everything…"

The flickering fire was reflected in her eyes and Sola scrutinized her.

"If you had a daughter, what would you name her?"

Sabé couldn't help but laugh at that, quiet enough not to awaken Ryoo sleeping the next room in her father's arms.

"I don't think I'll be having children anytime soon, if at all," she remarked dryly, brushing her braids back away from her face.

"Then just imagine for a moment," Sola said, rolling her eyes for good measure.

For a moment Sabé didn't say anything, contemplation flooding her face, and Sola could tell that she was thinking hard about the question.

"Coré," she decided before the silence could truly set in, lifting her eyes until they met her sister's lighter, paler ones. "I'd name my daughter Coré."

Coré was one of the old-fashioned names with the accented e that were becoming more common once more, but Sola was content in being the sibling that didn't have an é at the end of her last name. Coré was a name that held a double meaning; on one hand it meant 'daughter' and on the other it meant 'good heart'.

Sabé's attention drifted back to her datapad, frowning in consternation at what she read there. Sola couldn't read it, it was in a foreign language, but whatever it was displeased Sabé immensely.

"What is it?"

She looked up, startled. "Oh, it's nothing," she said, rubbing her temple with one hand, "it's just Talik…I'm picking up a jumble of thoughts from her."

A jumble of thoughts that she couldn't quite understand; they were moving far too fast to be comprehended.

Sabé's frown deepened, wondering what could have unsettled her Padawan so much.

* * *

Darth Sidious sat in his chair behind his massive desk that was his as Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, his fingers creating a tent as he considered the possibilities.

He had seen young Anakin Skywalker that day, walking in the Temple side-by-side with his friend Talik Shala. The girl was of no concern to him, other than the fact that she was the Padawan to Sabé Amidala, her skill in the Force was impressive to the Jedi, but not to him.

Darth Sidious could see he already had a pull on the boy, maybe not as much as Obi-Wan Kenobi did, but one day her would…and now he had to deal with the other difficulty, Sabé Amidala herself.

The Jedi was in a delicate situation, even if her views had always been borderline grey, and if Darth Sidious played his cards right, he could turn a Jedi with the potential to be someone incredibly dangerous, almost as dangerous as Anakin would be one day.

But in Sabé's case, he would have to be a bit more subtle, knowing how she wasn't nearly as taken with him as the other child of prophecy was.

He had sealed the doors and sent his staff away on an early lunch, allowing the time to call his apprentice with his hood flipped over his face.

"Darth Tyranus."

"_My master,"_ his apprentice said, his image bowing, the image of someone whom the Jedi would have found very familiar in the identity of the former Jedi known as Master Dooku, _"how may I be of service?"_

"How familiar are you with a young Jedi Knight by the name of Sabé Amidala?" Darth Sidious asked, her name curling silkily off his tongue.

If Dooku was surprised by the question, he certainly didn't show it. _"Sabé Amidala was the last apprentice to the Jedi's Grandmaster, and thus my fellow apprentice. She has more midi-chlorians than anyone in the Temple, barring the recent addition of Anakin Skywalker, and is part of one of the two great prophecies of the Jedi."_

"And how do you find her?"

Dooku blinked. _"She's young but practical, and certainly not naïve. She's a Jedi Shadow specializing in finding Dark artifacts, well, she was at the time of my departure, a rising star in the field, in fact. And she's always had an interest in the Dark Side of the Force."_

Darth Sidious' eyebrows rose under the hood that hid his face for the most part, but whether the movement was seen mattered to him not. "Has she?"

"_The old history was always her specialty,"_ Dooku informed him, _"and her research led her to be very questioning towards several of the Jedi's most important codes."_

Which, of course, gained her no allies in the Order.

"_Does Sabé Amidala concern you, my master?"_

"I find her a bit curious…and I would like you to appeal our interests to her…being subtle, of course."

Sabé could be a very powerful ally to him.

* * *

"_Master, I'm telling you I've got a bad feeling!"_

Padmé came into the kitchen the day of Sabé's departure from Naboo to find Sabé with a bowl of churro in front of her and her holo-projector active in front of her bearing Talik's semi-transparent blue form while Arthree wheeled around, hooting excitedly (if astromechs had feelings, Padmé would've been sure that Arthree was excited to leave Naboo and return to Coruscant).

"Talik," Sabé said with a patient tone that told of her experience with dealing with worried Padawans, "you worry because you saw me in pain in your vision, but it wouldn't be the first time I was tortured whilst on an assignment."

Padmé started in surprise at that knowledge, coming around the table to look for something to eat and Sabé gave her a nod and a smile before returning her attention to her young Padawan.

"_But Master! You were in _agony!"

"Yes," Sabé said, her voice taking on a note of dryness, "that does sometimes happen when you're undercover."

Talik was gaping at her, aghast by her nonchalance about the matter, and Padmé was a bit too, but it wasn't as though Sabé was a stranger to pain; Jedi Shadows dealt with pain better than most Jedi, particularly on the occasions when they were caught sneaking around.

"And while it's true that you should be mindful of the future and the will of the Force, I think your attention would be better served focusing on the present," Sabé added with a bit of a reprimand that made her Padawan's image wince.

"_Yes, Master,"_ she said sullenly.

"Besides," Sabé added gently, "it's possible that what you saw has already come to pass; it wouldn't be the first time that I've run afoul an electrostaff."

The things certainly left you with a sharp sting even after the tips had been removed from the flesh, which made them quite effective for torture and interrogation, though, Sabé had made a habit of breaking out rather soon after the torture began, on the rare occasions that she was caught.

Talik sighed.

"I'll be back by the time you wake up, Tali, get some sleep," Sabé said with a smile and Talik grumbled before cutting the connection.

"It's very early in the morning on Coruscant," Sabé explained, digging her spoon into her churro and swallowing it thickly. "It's likely that Talik woke Aayla up, but I can't be accountable for that."

Padmé couldn't help but snort before her smile faded. "Have you really been tortured before?"

"It comes with the job," Sabé said, swallowing another spoonful, "why do you think there aren't that many Jedi Shadows to start with? Well, _obviously_ you've got to have a certain level of skill in sensing the Dark Side of the Force, but there aren't that many who'd be willing to undergo the extensive training required before you can go into the field."

"The _Jedi _tortured you?" Padmé sounded horrified.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sabé snorted, waving a hand carelessly. "The Jedi taught me how to withstand torture…I'm not a Master, Padmé, even I have slip-ups and get careless and I've got the scars to serve as lessons to remind me to be more cautious."

This was the thing that Padmé would never be able to understand about her sister; her willingness to go above and beyond for an Order that she didn't agree with. But that was Sabé for you, loyal to people, not concepts.

"Ready to leave?" she asked instead, trying not to show her disappointment in how soon her sister was leaving. She would have rather had her a month than two weeks, but she had seen Sabé getting agitated in the days leading up to her departure, clearly longing to return to Coruscant, to her friends and her student.

"Yes…and there's an hour layover at the transport station," Sabé pinched at the bridge of her nose. "Which is annoying, but manageable…and the transport doesn't depart for another two hours, so that gives me plenty of time to get there."

"Once you put on your clothes," Padmé remarked, sipping her caf absently as Sabé gave her a flat stare.

"I am wearing my clothes."

Indeed, she was wearing the very same drab grey jumpsuit that she'd arrived to Naboo in.

"You're not wearing that today," Padmé said, conniving just a little bit with Anakin and Talik –both of whom were determined to find out if their respective masters had any feelings for each other at all– ("You really are poking a gundark with a 'saber, aren't you?" Talik had asked when she found Anakin with his datapad, her eyes alight with eagerness. "Come on, you can't say you don't want to know?" Anakin prodded. "Well, if they kill us, I'm blaming you." _"Hey!")._ "I've got the perfect dress for you."

"No thanks," Sabé said shortly, turning back to her churro. "I avoid dresses on principle."

"Oh, I'm well aware," Padmé muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Sabé to hear her. "But what if you manage to turn a certain young Jedi's head?"

"I don't engage in romantic entanglements," Sabé said, not even blinking.

"Not even with Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Padmé asked slyly, pleased to note how the vein in Sabé's throat pulsed suddenly and she had to swallow her spoonful of churro quickly to avoid choking on it.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about." And Padmé was sure that it was experience that managed to keep Sabé's voice level.

"Come _on_, Sabé," Padmé chuckled, "he commed you in the _middle of the night_, and you _picked up!_ You like him, don't you?"

Sabé released a short breath of air in order to scowl at her sister. "I hate you for being perceptive," she told her shortly.

"Yeah, I know," Padmé waved her off with a grin before tugging her off in the direction of her room.

* * *

"I look ridiculous," Sabé repeated for at least the fifth time as she stood in front of her family, looking down at herself in dismay.

The dress was a subtle bronze material that made it clear that it wasn't gold but it wasn't brown either, modest but flattering and falling just past her knees. And to add insult to injury, she'd been forced –practically at blasterpoint– into heels and Sabé hated heels. Then Padmé had unbound her hair, save for the three braids with beads in them ("You want to take him by surprise, don't you?"). The only consolation was that she could wrap her cloak around her –which she had discovered she had left in her bag the last time she'd used it.

"You look lovely," Jobal consoled her while Sola sniggered loudly.

"I look like a doll," Sabé complained, tugging on a curl and scowling at the unrepentant and recently re-elected Queen Amidala.

"Oh, you're being ridiculous," Padmé scoffed. "You always looked great in a dress, you were just never comfortable with them."

"Because they're impractical," she grated, pulling the cloak around her so that it seemed almost like she was drowning in the dark material. Then she checked the time. "My transport is leaving in ten minutes…so…"

Jobal hugged her and then Ruwee. "Don't be a stranger, Sabé, your mother worries."

Her mother smacked her husband's shoulder and they all shared a laugh.

"I'll try not to be," Sabé promised with a smile before curling her arms around Padmé. "You stay out of trouble, there's always someone you're going to get angry, no matter what you believe."

And it was bounty hunters that were a particular concern. There were still some Nubians that believed Padmé wasn't doing all that she could be as the ruling party of Naboo, but Sabé felt she was doing rather well with keeping the peace and being respectful of the different species on the planet.

"And I appreciate what you're trying to do," she murmured in her ear, "but I'm content to live my life the way it is right now."

"You sound lonely is all," Padmé whispered back, "I just want you to be happy."

Sabé smiled softly as they parted, leaning back to look at her fondly before moving to Sola.

"Stop by next time you're in town," Sola said, her eyes glittering. "We'd love to have you."

Ryoo gave an excited giggle and Darred gave her slight grin.

"I'll keep it in mind," Sabé agreed before bidding them all farewell and disappearing up the ramp into the transport with Arthree hot on her heels.

And that would be the last image that Padmé would see of her sister in a long time.

Sabé had expected layover to be boring, but she hadn't anticipated it being quite this boring, even Arthree was bored, but that wasn't saying much, he was a machine after all, no matter how alive he seemed.

She gathered her cloak around her a bit more, hiding the exposed skin of her legs from unwanted stares. This was possibly another reason why Sabé preferred to wear trousers and tunics as opposed to dresses, though dresses certainly wouldn't help her in a fight, she'd probably end up tripping over the material rather than landing a hit on her opponent.

"Well, well, this is a surprise," a familiar voice mentioned and Sabé started in surprise at the realization of who it was that had spoken, jerking her head up suddenly to stare.

"I wasn't expecting Sabé Amidala to be on a layover transport," Master Dooku remarked mildly. "It is an odd place to meet."

Sabé gave the elder former Jedi a slight smile. "Well, I am on my way back to the Temple, so that might explain some things…what about you?"

"Personal matters," Master Dooku said evasively and Sabé didn't press him (this _was _Master Dooku, after all, the former Jedi was a _master_ of the Makashi style). "Perhaps you wouldn't mind joining me for a short walk around the transport, Knight Amidala?"

Sabé's eyebrows drew together briefly for a moment but then she said "All right, then," and took the arm he extended to her.

**AN: Haha, so Anakin and Talik are trying to play matchmaker because they are a bunch of dorks, I'm going to love Obi-Wan's reaction so much.**

**And Palpatine is being a suspicious bastard, but what's new, really? **

**I hope you all enjoyed the family interactions…I probably could have had another chapter of the Naberries before I wrote Sabé returning to Coruscant, but I was really eager to get her back so we can get back into the Jedi stuff (I have a mighty need for the Jedi stuff)**

**Coré Kenobi is someone I wrote a short piece on for Tumblr in a sort of AU off of A Shift in the Force (I've got another one for if Sabé vanishes near the end of the Clone Wars and shows up after the events of ESB), and I have a lot of headcanons for Sabé and Obi-Wan's child, even though you won't see her for awhile.**

**And what are Sabé and Dooku going to talk about? Wait and find out!**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	22. Considerations of a Shadow

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Twenty-Two: Considerations of a Shadow**

**AN: Guys, we are now two reviews away from 100! Thanks so much for all the support, you lot are what keeps this fic flourishing and my inspiration for it alive!**

**And I see there's a lot of excitement about Padmé, Anakin, and Talik playing matchmaker (at least, that's the way it seems to me), and the plan is for Obi-Wan to see Sabé in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Arthree gave a whirring sound of confusion and caution, but Sabé ignored him for the time being, trying to focus on walking step in step with the old Jedi Master, but Master Dooku had longer legs than her; the only consolation was that he had slowed to fit her pace.

"Master Dooku—" Sabé started, but he cut her off smoothly.

"I am no longer a master, nor am I a Jedi," he said, stalling her words with the raise of a hand.

Sabé arched an eyebrow; that was a bit _curious._ "Then what should I call you?" she asked instead, ever accommodating.

"Count Dooku," he said in reply and Sabé could swear she could see a glint of pride in his eyes at the title he had claimed. _That was not the Jedi way._

"Count Dooku," Sabé corrected, "no disrespect, but you are probably the last person I would have expected to find on a transport like this…and I doubt you go out of your way to have conversations with your old master's former students."

In fact, the timing couldn't have been more odd, and Sabé's line of work had taught her to be very suspicious of strange occurrences. Still, she wasn't entirely certain that Master Yoda had any other living former apprentices other than themselves.

"I do not," Count Dooku conceded, glancing down to her and Sabé wasn't blind to how tall he was compared to her. "It was mere coincidence that your travels coincided with mine."

But Sabé, like any good Jedi, didn't believe in coincidences, or luck.

"And I find myself a bit curious."

"Curious?" Sabé repeated.

"As I recall, you always had some rather controversial view on the Order," Count Dooku said, "however, I was never quite aware of how controversial they were."

Sabé started in surprise. It was true that a good portion of the Jedi in the Temple knew of her for her views that barely coincided with what the Order deemed good, but no one –save for her closest friends and their Padawans– had ever really shown an interest in hearing whatever she had to say.

"You want me to explain my views to you?" Sabé asked, thrown a bit by the admission.

"I'm sure it would be most illuminating."

Sabé considered him briefly. It felt more like he'd sought her out than anything else…but if he had, why would he ask her such a thing? Why would he have cared about her views on the Order he was no longer a part of?

But Sabé was always eager to share her opinion, especially since people didn't ask it of her often. So she told how she thought that the Jedi giving the parents of Force-sensitive children the choice to let them become Jedi or stay with them was the thing she had the least problems with, but then the Jedi took the children away it was likely they would never see their children again, unless they were very lucky, and Sabé had at least_ five_ problems with that…

"I see you have a large number of issues with the Code," Dooku uttered with a vein of faint amusement; he clearly hadn't known just how passionate Sabé was concerning the Code and things that should be altered or done away with completely.

"Believing there is no ignorance is in itself ignorance," Sabé offered for good measure, referring to the line of the Code: _There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._ "The Order follows a Code that I think is far too simplistic and they're too narrow-minded –in some areas– to consider change being the better option."

"The Order has always maintained a rather obstinate position," Count Dooku mused thoughtfully and Sabé hummed in agreement.

"They have…but their denial of their own changes is proof of their infallibility, whether they want to admit it or not," Sabé said with a shrug as Arthree wheeled forward with a beeped warning of their transport arriving in a few minutes and Sabé reached down to pat his domed head. "They teach to fear _fear_, as ironic as it is, rather than explaining that fear is just a feeling and feelings can be controlled."

"_I can't tell Master I'm afraid!" Anakin had looked horrified when Sabé had given him a cup of steaming muja juice._

"_Anakin," Sabé had given him a patient sigh, despite the fact that the boy had awoken her in the middle of the night from his nightmare (as he was staying with her and Talik while Obi-Wan was on assignment), "everyone is afraid of something, but fear is just a feeling, what matters is that you don't let it control you…and its okay to tell Obi-Wan, he'd never think less of you; he's been through the same thing."_

_And Anakin relented._

"An interesting concept," Dooku said flatly and Sabé wondered if it was possible for his voice to be anything but that. "And what do you think of the Dark Side compared to the Light?"

"I think that there are problems with both," Sabé said, waving a hand carelessly as they circled back to the transport waiting area that she had been sitting at previously, "but I don't think one is above the other."

They arrived back in time for the transport to arrive and boarding to begin.

"You have given me much to think on," Count Dooku said, giving the Jedi a short bow before leaving her swiftly and Sabé couldn't help but be confused by his sudden departure and his line of questioning.

* * *

"_She has the potential to turn."_

"Good…good…"

* * *

"_Master!"_ Talik gave an excited cry when she saw her master climb the last of the stairs into the Temple, making her way inside with her cloak tucked under her arm, and she caught Talik easily as she threw her arms around her. "Master, you're _back!"_

Sabé gave a light laugh, embracing Talik just as readily. "Talik, did you think I wasn't coming back?" she asked with a smile.

"Of course _not!"_ Talik said adamantly before stepping back to get a good look at her master. "Wow, Master! You look so _pretty!"_

Sabé arched an eyebrow, clearly amused, but it still made Talik backtrack suddenly.

"I –I mean," she stuttered, "not that you weren't pretty _before_, its just –its more obvious now."

She had no idea that her master's hair was so curly, for one thing. Talik couldn't really remember a time when she'd actually seen her master's hair down. Sabé made a habit of keeping her hair in perpetual braids for a reason and the only time Talik had seen it down was when it was wet and she was plaiting her hair into braids once more. But her curls were so pretty that Talik had to wonder why she kept them in braids so much.

"And you're looking so much better," Talik added, refusing to stumble any more over her words. "So Naboo was nice, right?"

"Varykino is lovely this time of year," Sabé said, wrapping an arm around Talik's shoulders as they began to walk inside. "How was your time with Master Aayla?"

"She helped Anakin and I with our lightsaber techniques," Talik informed her brightly, "she says Anakin's Ataru needs some work and my Jar'Kai has got a long way to go."

That didn't come as much of surprise to Sabé, seeing how Talik spent most of her time working with Master Vokara Che, she may have been a prodigy in the healing arts, but Sabé wasn't about to neglect Talik's training.

"Are you the best in the Temple at Jar'Kai?" she pressed, a smile still present on her lips.

"Nearly," Sabé laughed, "though only because there are so few that choose to study it. It takes a certain level of skill." She cast a wink to her Padawan that had the girl flushing with pleasure.

"Master Sabé!" came a second voice and Sabé almost had the wind knocked out of her as Anakin came barreling into view, throwing his arms around her waist to hug her. Sabé had to catch herself with the Force to keep from falling to the ground. "You're back!"

"Yes," Sabé said, just a bit flummoxed, "though I don't know why everyone's so excited about it…I've only been gone two weeks."

"The Temple's _boring_ without you, Master Sabé," Anakin promised and Talik bobbed her head in agreement.

"Oh, Anakin, are you saying that you find your dear master boring?" Sabé asked, a hand moving to her mouth, her eyes glittering as she said the words in a pseudo-horrified voice.

"Of course not!" Anakin said stoutly, ever loyal to his master. "Master's the _best!"_

And as he spoke, his master –whom he had briefly abandoned at the sight of Sabé with Talik– came up to join them, taken by surprise by Sabé's current outfit.

If there was one thing he knew about Sabé, it was that she avoided wearing dresses if she could help it, she was much like Siri in that respect. But where Siri had found her beauty to be irksome, Sabé had used hers to her advantage; no one looked twice at a beautiful woman in a crowd, and no one suspected that same beautiful woman of spying.

And, of course, Obi-Wan had always been aware that Sabé was beautiful, it was something rather hard to deny, but it still came as a smack to the face.

The dress was flattering but modest, suiting her immensely, and the color brought out the exact shade of brown that her eyes were, soft chestnut.

Obi-Wan swallowed when he realized his throat had gone dry, and then he cleared his throat.

"So this is where my Padawan ran off to," he commented lightly and Sabé gave him a sheepish smile.

"I've got that kind of personality," she laughed, making a curling gesture with her hands, "I draw you in."

Anakin laughed too and Talik burst into giggles.

"Don't worry, you can say it," Sabé added, "I look pretty ridiculous, but Padmé insisted, so I figured I could indulge her."

"No, you don't look ridiculous at all," he assured her, "in fact, you look very lovely."

A faint pink dusted across her cheeks, almost impossible to tell against their natural hue. "Thanks, but I'll be happy to get out of it, all the same…Aayla's still got a spare set of my clothes in her apartment for me, so I'd figure I'd change and take Talik off to Dex's for lunch…would you and Anakin want to join us?"

There was an eager light in Anakin's eyes as he turned on Obi-Wan, who felt his mouth moving long before he had come to a decision. "I don't think we'd mind," he said.

"Oh, yeah, Master!" Talik tugged on the cloak wrapped around her master's arm, causing Sabé's gaze to shift downwards. "Master Maw wanted to see you when you got back."

"Master Maw?" Sabé uttered in surprise. Of all the people she could have expected to want to see her, he was far from the top of the list. Her brow furrowed in confusion when a guttural voice spoke behind the grouping.

"Knight Amidala, a word," the Boltrunian Shadow spoke out of the darkness and Sabé blinked, schooling her expression into one that betrayed nothing but outward calm.

"Of course, Knight Maw," she said simply before turning back to Obi-Wan briefly, "shall I meet you on the outer landing in a few minutes?"

"We won't leave without you," Obi-Wan promised, and she spared him a smile, squeezing his arm briefly before striding past.

"Knight Maw," she said politely, "I hope you are well."

"As well as usual," Maw replied in his typical brusque manner, "I'm here to speak to about official business."

Sabé straightened her spine just a little as they walked, swallowing briefly. "I wasn't aware that my last Shadow assignment was less than satisfactory."

"It was not," Maw countered, "this is a separate matter."

_A separate matter?_ Sabé couldn't help but cast an odd look in his direction. What on earth was he talking about? Her last Shadow assignment had lasted nearly a month and then she'd remained on-planet for the two weeks before she and Talik had been sent off to assist with the rising tensions on Anobis. She couldn't imagine that he was here to speak to her about Korinth'Kel's death; the High Council had already done that…

It didn't leave her with many ideas for why he could be there to speak with her.

"As I'm sure you're well-aware, the Council of First Knowledge cycles through Jedi members every five years once their terms are up," Maw began and Sabé didn't quite follow.

Of course, she knew about how things worked with the Council of First Knowledge, it was usually from them that she was given her Shadow assignments. Master T'un was in charge of the Council, being the Caretaker of First Knowledge. T'un was a cunning Jedi and in his youth had operated as both a Slicer –a computer expert capable of infiltrating networks and leaving without a trace– and a Security Expert –those known for their abilities in disarming traps and alarms– before he had retired to take on the duties of being Caretaker full-time.

Master T'un was certainly someone to be revered in the Temple.

"Yes," Sabé said the word slowly, arching an eyebrow.

"It has been decided, after a great deal of evaluation, that you will replace Master Zhint as the fifth member of the Council."

"Master Z –I'm sorry, I think I misheard you," Sabé said faintly, "because I could have _sworn_ that you just said that _I_ would be replacing Master Zhint on the Council of First Knowledge."

Maw's sharp teeth bared in amusement at how she was taking the information. "I did just say that, yes. Mast Zhint wasn't due to retire from his position for another three months, but he's going to spend the next year as a Jedi Watchman on Felucia, so he submitted his resignation early," he explained patiently.

"I…" The words were strangled from Sabé's mouth briefly, "I would have thought I would be too young to serve on the Council."

"You're young," Maw agreed, "but not too young…0900 tomorrow, Knight Amidala, don't be late."

Then he left the way he had come, leaving Sabé standing there, staring blankly at the floor, hardly daring to believe that she had somehow made it onto the Council of First Knowledge.

And then an undeniable glee bubbled up inside of her. To serve on at least one of the Councils of the Jedi Temple, had always been a dream of hers, but she had never imagined that it would come across, and when she was as young as she was either; it was an honor to be sure.

* * *

"I can't believe they made you a member of a Council at twenty-eight!"

Sabé's face was flushed the happiness (newly dressed in her comfortable boots, tunic, and trousers) as she and Obi-Wan and their respective Padawans entered Dex's Diner. "It's okay to admit you're jealous, Obi-Wan, it's an emotion that everyone feels."

Talik was cackling behind them and Anakin had stuffed his fist in his mouth to keep from laughing.

"I'm not jealous," Obi-Wan denied, "I don't fit the criteria for being selected to be a member of the Council of First Knowledge."

And that was true. Obi-Wan had trained as a Jedi Guardian, but somehow he'd ended up caught somewhere between Jedi Guardian and Jedi Consular, no doubt owing to his peace-keeping nature. Those on the Council of First Knowledge were almost exclusively Jedi Sentinels, almost being the key word, because Sabé had never once identified as a Jedi Sentinel, except in doing her work as a Jedi Shadow.

"It is a high honor," he added, "I'm glad they saw how skilled you were."

Sabé gave him a half-smile, but he could see how it made her eyes glow with a subtle light that few could see and he looked away quickly, forcing down a flush of heat. "Thank you," she said simply before turning to the service droid wheeling towards them. "Table for four," she told it.

"Right this way, honey," the droid's metallic voice replied, wheeling them towards a booth by the window. "Can you get you something to drink?"

"Some Jawa juice would be lovely," Sabé told it, sliding against the corner with Talik coming in beside her, and if Obi-Wan's knees bumped hers, she certainly didn't show it.

"Same!" Talik piped up.

"Juri juice, please," Anakin said, making his friend wrinkle her nose at him, Juri juice, was, after all, an acquired taste.

"Some muja will be fine," Obi-Wan said as the droid handing out menus to the four of them, though Sabé and Obi-Wan didn't need to bother opening theirs, already knowing what to order; Dex's Diner was the favored hangout of young Jedi and both had come often when they were younger with their own respective groups of friends.

"If you're on one of the Councils now, does that mean we won't go out on as many missions?" Talik asked her once she'd found what she wanted.

"It's possible that I will end up staying on-planet a bit more," Sabé agreed, "you might end up doing a few missions without me, maybe they'll let you go off with Anakin and Obi-Wan."

"That would be so _wizard!"_

"That sounds like chaos just waiting to happen," Obi-Wan said in perfect time with his Padawan, the deadpan voice making Sabé laugh.

"Master says a little chaos is good for the soul," Talik said, grinning widely at Obi-Wan and the Jedi knew if he looked to Anakin, he'd see an identical expression.

"Your master prefers chaos, Talik," he said shrewdly, "it is far easier for her to find order within it rather than the other way around."

"Well, not all of us can have that rather singular talent, my dear," Sabé said, taking a sip of her juice as it arrived and the droid took their orders before wheeling off again to take them to Dex to cook them up.

Obi-Wan shook his head in exasperation. "She also likes making others' existence difficult."

"You can't say that I don't keep things interesting, Obi-Wan," Sabé said, her smile splitting her face. "You'd have a bit more fun if you weren't so straight-laced."

"I am _not_ straight-laced," Obi-Wan said, sounding just a bit affronted and both of Sabé's eyebrows rose high on her forehead.

"Not as much as you used to," she had to agree, "Anakin being your Padawan has done you some good there."

"_Hey!"_

Sabé spared him a wink.

_He will be the making of you_, Sabé sent the thought to Obi-Wan and the elder of the two –though only by one year– felt his shoulders fall slightly.

_Yes,_ he agreed, _he will be._

"Are they having a mental conversation again?" Talik whispered across the table to Anakin.

"Looks like it," Anakin responded with a whisper that carried a bit more than his friend's.

"Anakin," Sabé said, turning towards the Tatooine-born lad, "Talik tells me that you two have been spending some time reforming your lightsaber techniques with Master Aayla…how would you like to try against me later?"

"That would be wizard!" Anakin said, bouncing eagerly in his seat. "I've barely fought against you!"

Sabé's lips twitched. "There are other Jar'Kai masters to test yourself against, Anakin, I can't imagine they'd turn you away."

"_You're_ the nicest Jar'Kai master, Master Sabé."

Obi-Wan's eyes softened briefly. He meant that she was the most understanding towards him, particularly when one considered how he had come to arrive at the Temple a few years too late to be trained. Sabé was patient and kind and Anakin had a habit of going to her after Obi-Wan or any other Jedi lectured him, because Sabé didn't lecture, she explained in a fashion that made it clear that the gaps in Anakin's education were not his fault.

"Well, I'm certainly nicer than Pong Krell, I won't deny that," Sabé muttered, raking a hand through her curls. "Avoid training with him until you've got some mastery in your lightsaber technique," she warned, "he almost took my head off once."

"He did?" Obi-Wan asked, startled.

"He's what I would call a furious fighter," Sabé said dryly, "but strength can only get you so far in battle."

And Sabé knew that better than anyone else; Jar'Kai was a style that dealt very little in overwhelming strength as Ataru did.

"So, tell me, did you drive Master Aayla completely up the wall?"

And both Padawans were rather animated in telling her their exploits over the past two weeks and Obi-Wan watched her pay attention to everything they said.

The Force gave a wistful hum.

* * *

If there was one thing that Sabé had missed more than most while she had been away, it was sleeping in her own bed. She'd sent Arthree on ahead before she'd taken the transport to the Jedi Temple, but now she and Talik were returning once their lunch with Obi-Wan and Anakin had concluded.

"How was Padmé?" Talik asked her as they stepped off the transport to head inwards into 500 Republica. "She got re-elected, right?"

"Yes, she did…she and Sola are doing very well." A soft smile graced Sabé's lips. "Sola has a daughter, Ryoo, and another on the way."

"_Really?_ How d'you know? I thought you two didn't really talk," Talik said all in one breath.

"We made up when I stayed in Varykino," Sabé said with a simple shrug, the pair passing through the sliding automatic door and into the expensively decorated lobby.

500 Republica was rather exclusive for those of higher status, home to the most wealthy and most famous of Coruscant, which was why, at first, it had come as a bit of a surprise to see a Jedi entering and leaving it at ease, but its inhabitants were so used to Jedi now that only the newer members of the tower found it odd.

Sabé gave a smile to the bellman before making her way to the turbolift, pressing the button to head up and waiting for the lift to open, but it must have gone very far up.

"Ah, Knight Amidala," came a voice of surprise and both Sabé and her Padawan turned to see Chancellor Palpatine standing there with a grandfatherly smile on his face.

"Your Excellency," Sabé said simply giving a short bow that Talik replicated, "a pleasure to see you again."

In truth, Sabé hadn't seen the Chancellor all that often; her work as a Shadow tended to keep her a bit away from the world of politics, and it wasn't something she minded all that much.

"And you," Chancellor Palpatine said kindly, "I am grateful for your assistance in resolving that bit of unpleasantness on Anobis."

Sabé's smile stiffened. "It was no trouble."

"And you have my condolences for the death of your friend Korinth'Kel Dorma," he added and Sabé swallowed thickly.

"Thank you," she said, and it was hard work for the words not to come out as a croak. The turbolift dinged behind her. "I apologize, Chancellor, but I've been away for two weeks and am quite exhausted—"

"Of course, of course," the Chancellor said easily, "I won't keep you. Welcome home."

"Thank you," Sabé said with more of a hint of smile than before as she ushered her Padawan into the lift.

And before it shut, she could have sworn she saw a hint of yellow in Chancellor Palpatine's eyes…but it must have been a trick of the light.

**AN: So, Sabé is officially back on Coruscant! Yeah, now we can get back to the good stuff! Well, not the really good stuff that's going to absolutely destroy you, but the good stuff that you'll enjoy immensely, I've got lots of foreshadowing and alluding to do…**

**And we see a few hints of Obi-Wan's slowly developing feelings, remember guys, this is a slow-burn romance and its going to take some time for Obi-Wan to catch up**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	23. Lightsaber Training

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Twenty-Three: Lightsaber Training**

**AN: We have officially hit 100 reviews! How cool is that? Somehow this fic has become the fifth most reviewed fic I've written! Thanks for the support everyone! I really could have never guessed that A Shift in the Force would get as much attention as it has, and its all thanks to your support.**

**Lots of love for Obi-Wan slowly noticing Sabé, I know, it's great, but it'll still be a little bit yet before he comes to realize how he feels. *cackles* I have lots of heart-wrenching ideas for it.**

**And there's a lot of good stuff to come with the heart-wrenching stuff; I promise you will be entertained.**

* * *

Pride, Sabé knew, was not something a Jedi should possess. A Jedi was modest and humble, not prideful. It was a lesson that Anakin had trouble learning, Sabé knew, because the boy was always dragging in some new contraption that needed work. You should be proud of yourself if something didn't work when you started working on it and did once you were finished, shouldn't you?

But Sabé couldn't help but be proud that she had been chosen to be a member of the Council of First Knowledge. It was a high honor and she couldn't really bring herself to be modest about it.

"You shouldn't be modest about it," Taria snorted, taking a long gulp of caf that had Sabé wondering how she could manage to take so much into her body in one go; those kind of people were powerful and dangerous and to be feared. "Getting elected to the Council of First Knowledge is something to be proud of, anyone in their right mind would be proud of that. Ignore the High Council for a bit and just enjoy the moment."

Sabé gave her a smile as she spun the last of her loose hair into a braid. The curls were nice, but she still preferred the braids over anything else. "Thanks, Taria."

Taria lifted her cup in salute to Sabé, taking another gulp of the strong drink; Sabé marveled at her ability to do that.

"When are you meeting the Council, then?" Taria asked her curiously, setting the cup down on the high bar counter, watching as Sabé's fingers fluttered as she diced Shurra berries for breakfast.

"Two hours," she said, glancing over to where Talik's door was shut. Sabé could hear the flutter of her heartbeat, feel her calm breaths as the girl slept on in a peaceful slumber. "I doubt it will go on very long, they're probably just going to explain to me what it means to be on the Council and the duties that will be required of me."

Arthree gave a small beep beside her, his utility arm extending a small bowl to her and Sabé took it with a grateful smile that she shared between the astromech and her friend sitting across from her with her hand in the bowl of diced Shurra.

Sabé smacked the back of her hand with a large spoon and Taria recoiled sharply with a pout on her lips that Sabé opted to ignore in favor of continuing to make breakfast.

"You aren't annoyed, are you?" Sabé asked her, furrowing her brow slightly. "That I was picked and you weren't?"

The surprise on Taria's face couldn't have been faked. "Of course not," she said honestly, giving her friend a sheepish smile, "you've got a better track record than me at recovering Sith artifacts."

"Not for lack of trying," Sabé pointed out.

When Taria threw herself into a mission, she really threw herself into a mission. Sabé could recall a time when her friend had been gone for close to five months on a search that had left her bone-tired, drenched to her core, and bitter from the lack of results.

"Maw's been on the Council for a couple of years," Taria mused thoughtfully, "maybe I'll replace him when he's through."

Maw was even more well known than Sabé in recovering Sith artifacts –or destroying them when they proved too dangerous to move– but he hadn't seen much field work since he'd joined the Council.

"So no plans to take on a Padawan of your own?" Sabé inquired, arching an eyebrow. "Or are you and Maw just fine without training one?"

"You know us Shadows," Taria said with her eyes gleaming, "we prefer to be off on our own without any children tailing after us…you're just the exception to the rule."

Sabé hid her snort into her drink. "That's only because I was trained as a Jedi Guardian first before I found my calling…and you know how I am about breaking the rules."

"Oh, I think _everyone_ in the Order knows about how you feel about the Code," Taria sniggered. "But things aren't meant to remain unchanged for centuries like the Order has; maybe we're in need of some change."

"I don't think the High Council would agree with you," Sabé muttered, mashing the berries in the bowl. "I'd probably have better luck starting up my own separate Jedi Order…but we know how well that ends." Sabé knew from history that the Jedi often found themselves threatened by the presence of a separate Order and that Order –whether Sith or not– found themselves annihilated.

"You aren't, are you?" Taria asked, briefly struck by the phrasing and Sabé looked up in surprise.

"_Of course not,"_ she said, "you know me, Taria, that's not really my style."

Taria relaxed slightly at that only to jump as her comlink gave a loud beep. "Oops, looks like my ride's here."

"Off on another Shadow mission?" Sabé asked with a grin.

"You know me…who doesn't love Pamina Prime?" Taria asked, tossing a wink Sabé's way as the Force whispered faintly in her ear.

"Just remember that the blue-shelled mollusks with the green stripes are the ones you need to watch out for," Sabé said simply, taking another swig of her juice as Taria hopped off of her stool, grabbing up her bag.

"I'll remember," Taria promised with a light laugh, only to swoop forward to press a light kiss to Sabé's cheek. "Don't fall in love with anyone while I'm gone."

Sabé gave an exasperated sigh that was tinged with an amusement she couldn't hide. "That's rather unlikely."

She was already in love with Obi-Wan; who else could she fall in love with during the few weeks that Taria was away?

* * *

Sabé's missions had rarely come through the Council of First Knowledge; mostly Maw would find her and send her off to some distant planet but Sabé couldn't quite remember a time when she had been in the top of the northwest tower of the Jedi Temple where the Council was situated.

Standing in the center of the Council room was very unlike standing before the High Council. With the High Council Sabé knew what to expect, with the High Council Sabé wasn't afraid to stand her ground. But the Council of First Knowledge was completely different.

And for the first time in a very long time, Sabé was standing as a bundle of nerves.

"We are keepers of the wisdom of the Jedi. We maintain the Great Library, we oversee the teachings of the younglings, and we seek out the ancient histories and Holocrons that will bring us greater knowledge of the light side of the Force. But we are more than just caretakers. We are also guardians." Master T'un spoke in a deep, reassuring sort of voice that almost seemed to reverberate in the silence. "You have been chosen to join us on this Council as Master Zhint's replacement, Knight Maw says that you agree with the decision?"

Sabé gave a low and very respectful bow. "It truly is an honor to be selected to be on this Council with my youth and inexperience and I will do my best to ensure that I hold its values as high as my own," she said with a note of reverence that made Madam Jocasta spare her a light smile.

"Take your seat, Knight Amidala."

And Sabé swept her robes around herself as she sat down in the circular chair that was currently the only vacancy.

"I believe you engage in numerous verbal barbs with the High Council," Master T'un said and Sabé couldn't bring herself to find herself embarrassed, instead flicking her eyes towards where Even Piell was sitting and he gave her an unrepentant smile.

"It's true, Master T'un, that there are many things about the Jedi Code I find…_restrictive."_ Sabé gave a placid smile at the particular wording. "Change is something only underdeveloped civilizations choose to be stagnant from…well, underdeveloped civilizations and the Jedi Order."

Maw gave a light cough that directed the attention towards himself. "You'll have to forgive Sabé, she's not used to curbing her sharp tongue."

"It is not a crime to be honest on my viewpoint," Sabé responded archly.

"Indeed it is not," Master Piell said with thickly accented basic. "Now, let us begin."

* * *

The lightsaber training arena was the least busy in the time of the early morning, and as such was the preferred time for Talik and Anakin to train.

"Keep your guard up, Anakin," Obi-Wan called from the sidelines.

"Push back, Talik," Aayla added, "but don't overexert yourself!"

Aayla had been elected as Talik's caretaker once more, but Talik was never bothered when Sabé foisted her off to the Twi'lek; Aayla was a cool master. Sabé needed to be at a meeting for the Council of First Knowledge at 0900, so Aayla had appeared to take up her time until Sabé's return.

There were some days where Talik wished she had Obi-Wan for a master simply for the constancy, but Sabé wasn't a master she would trade for anyone in the world.

Talik ducked under a slash by Anakin, the graze so close to her lekku that she could feel its heat.

"Almost got you!" Anakin was grinning widely, performing an elaborate twist with his 'saber that involved twisting it around from one side to another that Talik was almost completely certain was a move of Obi-Wan's.

"Almost isn't good enough!" Talik sang, grinning just as widely as he was, vaulting over his next strike before battering her lightsabers against his.

It would probably be better for both of them to train against other Padawans (Talik knew that Siri Tachi's new Padawan Ferus Olin was fairly skilled), but the pair preferred to spar against each other or the close net of their masters friends as well as their masters when they were free. Garen Muln was an especially wily partner and Talik found his flirting tactics when he ended up against her to be aggravating (Sabé was less than enthused about him turning his charm on her Padawan, but it wasn't as though she hadn't done the same before).

Talik feinted to the left, kicking out her leg to knock against his side, but he was hardly jostled by the movement; Talik might have speed on her side, but Anakin had strength. And that was why it was such a good idea to pair them together.

Being a Jar'Kai practitioner meant taking on the weaknesses that came with such a style. It meant that those that used Jar'Kai often found themselves relying far too much on their weapons and not on the Force, and they couldn't use the same kind of brute force that other styles employed (barring Master Pong Krell's style which used more force simply because of his great size).

But Talik was willing to work hard to make those weaknesses negligible, just as her master had done, training day in and day out with Master Keelyvine Reus (Talik didn't know how she did it; Master Reus was a harsh teacher).

She flipped back to avoid Anakin's hit, settling into a familiar stance, preparing for another attack and ready to intercept it.

* * *

Sabé joined them not half an hour after their training session had begun, watching the pair with interest as she strode towards Aayla and Obi-Wan with her dark cloak tucked under one arm.

"Anakin's gotten better," she remarked up beside Obi-Wan and the Stewjonan allowed himself a brief smile.

"The blocking, you mean?" he offered lightly, watching Talik drive his Padawan back. "Yes, he had a bit of difficulty with it…I had to force him to do nothing but block for two days straight."

Aayla snorted beside him. "That must have been exhausting; I am _very _glad you weren't my master." She winked at Sabé behind Obi-Wan's back and Sabé smiled back. "How did the meeting go?"

"I think it went well," Sabé said, shrugging her shoulders. "It was more of an explanation of all the things that members of the Council of First Knowledge are tasked with and making sure I had accepted the invitation to join, which I had." Sabé tilted her head, examining Anakin's movements with interest. "Well that's interesting," she said, her eyebrows arching, "did he learn that from you?"

"What?" Obi-Wan asked.

"He's been doing it all session," Aayla added, ignoring Obi-Wan to meet Sabé's eyes. "He's melding Ataru with Soresu…which isn't all that hard to do, but I don't think he's doing it consciously."

There were several Jedi that specialized in both, like Aayla and Obi-Wan (Kit had opted for the more difficult Djem So), so you wouldn't be hard-pressed to find a Jedi using both.

"No," Sabé said with a bit of contemplation, cupping her chin thoughtfully, "the transition seems a little rough…like he's only making a split-second decision…which can only get you so far."

"Yet those split-second decisions are pushing a Jar'Kai user back," Obi-Wan informed her pointedly, and he wasn't wrong; Sabé could see the trace of Talik's brow creasing in frustration.

"For now," Sabé mused. Talik was fair with Jar'Kai but she was nowhere near Sabé's level; she'd been devoting far too much of her time to the healing arts, which was a worthy endeavor, but not at the expense of her lightsaber training. "So I guess training's been going well?"

Aayla grimaced. "I hope you're still planning to take her off for three months to work on her form."

Brown eyes blinked. "I didn't think it was that bad." It certainly didn't look that bad.

"Aayla's over-exaggerating," Obi-Wan assured her with an easy smile that made her traitorous heart flutter in her chest. "Talik isn't bad…her Jar'Kai is relatively _fine_…"

"But it wouldn't hold up well in a full-frontal battle," Sabé agreed, watching her Padawan's struggles with a critical eye. "I see your point…and yes, the three month training sabbatical is still planned…though I have to see what the Council thinks about it…I think I'm the only one on there with a Padawan so there might be some considerations to take into account…"

"Bet you she's the first of our age-group to hit Master," Aayla said, grinning as she elbowed Obi-Wan in the side.

"I wouldn't be surprised," he said, but that only made Sabé scowl at the pair of them. "_Hush,_ my dears!"

Aayla rolled her eyes and Obi-Wan's cheeks reddened at the use of the endearment, but Sabé missed it completely.

"Hold!" she added loudly to stall the sparring Padawans, dropping her cloak on the ground.

"Master!" Talik called brightly despite her exertion. "We didn't see you come in!"

"I gathered you were rather engrossed in training," Sabé remarked dryly, her eyes flickering from one Padawan to the other. "It was all very impressive…but I already see some things we need to work on."

Both Padawans groaned as one, making identical movements; their shoulders slumped and they tilted their head back in exasperation.

"Come _on_, Master Sabé!"

"_Master!"_

"I will berate you on your form, Talik, right up until the day I pass from this world and become one with the Force," Sabé promised without even batting an eye. "Now, Talik, obviously you need to work on your Jar'Kai and you need to get used to fighting against a stronger force, that does happen most of them time; there aren't many practitioners of Jar'Kai so it's likely that you'll be dealing with a lot of double-handed strikes." Talik accepted her critiques with good grace as Sabé turned towards Anakin.

"Now, your form is a little rough since you keep switching between Ataru and Soresu, which isn't a bad thing," Sabé was quick to add, noticing how his shoulders sagged slightly, "you just have to work with smoothing the transition between the two; it's a very useful tactic."

"Something to work on," Obi-Wan promised and Anakin jutted out his lower lip into a pout for a brief few moments.

"Talik why don't you take a breather?" Sabé added with a smile. "I believe I am overdue for a light sparring session with Padawan Skywalker."

Talik seemed relieved at the opportunity to regain her strength and she left the arena space to slump on the floor next to Aayla's feet.

Sabé called her 'sabers to her hands, igniting them with a snap-hiss, the violet blades flaring to life. "Let's see how well you can manage against someone who's been studying the Jar'Kai for more than fifteen years." She was always very careful not to call herself a master, maybe that was just her being humble, or maybe she just didn't feel confident enough to call herself a master of Jar'Kai.

Anakin surged forward, never one to ignore an opportunity when it presented itself, his blade of blue clashing against hers, but the strengths he had over Talik were not the ones he had against Sabé. Sabé had height and skill on her side.

Sabé spun in a whirlwind of lightsaber strikes that Anakin had trouble blocking them all. She was faster than Talik and stronger; Anakin would pay a few credits to see his master and Talik's duel one another.

The twin blades were swung in a deadly arc and Anakin had to leap to the side in order to avoid it, but he couldn't help but grin. Now _this_ was fun.

* * *

She was all fluid and grace, the young Padawan noticed as she watched Jedi Knight Sabé Amidala duel against another Padawan a few years younger than her. The boy was holding rather well against the obviously skilled master, but it was clear to her who the winner of the duel would be.

Her light eyes followed the woman's movements with rapt interest and awe. There weren't many in the Temple that practiced Jar'Kai and even fewer that were willing to impart that knowledge to others. In fact, there were only two that were willing to teach others in the art: Keelyvine Reus and Sabé Amidala.

Unfortunately, Master Reus was out of the Temple, leaving her only choice to be Master Amidala.

"Watch closely," her master, a human male by the name of Ky Narec, looked to her with a smile, a movement that warped the facial tattoos at the center of his chin, resting a hand on her shoulder. "This is how you will fight one day."

And glee bubbled inside her as she watched Master Amidala perform an elaborate flip to lock the Padawan's neck between her legs as she forced him to drop his 'saber as they both fell to the floor with the boy quickly ceding defeat.

Master Amidala appeared to notice the attention being paid to her as she helped pull the boy upright and she turned to look towards the pair of watchers, her many braids swinging around her face as she did so, but then she smiled widely, giving a few short words to the Jedi she was with before moving swiftly to greet Ky Narec.

"Ky Narec! Oh, it's been far_ too_ long!" She hugged him tightly. "None of us have seen you in years, Ky, you've put my longest mission to shame!"

"It's what I exist for in life," Ky Narec said easily, "to one-up you by going on the longest mission."

Master Amidala laughed, bright and warm like the sun.

"I don't believe you've met my Padawan," he added, motioning towards the silent girl standing beside him that had almost been certain that he'd forgotten of her. "This is Asajj Ventress."

"Hello," Asajj said, the word curling off her tongue before she gave a polite bow, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Master Amidala."

"And you," Master Amidala said, casting a critical eye over her. "Here for some basics in Jar'Kai?"

Asajj jolted in surprise; she hadn't even felt a presence in her mind as Master Amidala pulled the desire from her thoughts.

"Talik, come here for a moment," Master Amidala called over her shoulder as a young Twi'lek Padawan with lavender-hued skin and two 'sabers clipped at her waist –much like her master in that respect– bounded forward eagerly.

"This is my Padawan, Talik Shala," Master Amidala introduced the girl who gave a bright smile. "I'm sure that she would be happy to show you the basics in Jar'Kai while I take a moment to speak with your master."

"Sure," Talik said, her eyes glittering, "Master Obi-Wan and Anakin just left to work on his Ataru and Master Aayla has to go and teach a class."

"I'm sure she's enthused," Master Amidala laughed, taking Asajj's master's elbow. "We'll only be a few moments."

* * *

"A Nightsister? That's rare," Sabé remarked as the pair watched from a distance as Asajj went through the motions of the beginning Jar'Kai stances. "And I heard you took her on a bit late…like Obi-Wan."

"I did," Ky Narec agreed, his hands clasped behind his back. "She was a slave to a criminal named Hal'Sted for years. I rescued her and we formed a master-apprentice bond when I discovered what she was capable of."

Sabé's eyes roved over the girl –she must have almost reached adulthood–, taking in her long limbs, alabaster-pale skin, the brown of her hair that was shaved on one side.

"The High Council is sending us to Rattatak for a few years," he added, "which is why I came to you. Asajj has an interest in Jar'Kai and it isn't a style she can learn from me. You're the best in the Temple—"

"One of the best," Sabé corrected without so much as a blink.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Ky Narec said simply and Sabé rolled her eyes. "All I need is for you to teach her some Jar'Kai until she doesn't need any instruction."

"That could take months, Ky," Sabé uttered doubtfully, "it takes a certain kind of discipline in order to train in Jar'Kai."

"I'm aware of that," Ky Narec said, "but we leave in four weeks."

"You are completely insane," Sabé decided, drawing up short to fasten her wide eyes on his. "A _month,_ Ky? I can't teach someone enough of the Jar'Kai in a _month!_ Not even Talik is that good! And I_ do_ have a Padawan to take up my time, Ky."

"Yes, I know, but would you just teach her as much as you can?" He was pleading with her. "You know as well as I do that someone who uses two lightsabers without the proper training is a liability."

She scowled at him, knowing that full well; she had been trained by Keelyvine Reus and the woman was nothing if not unyielding and full of warning of what not to do with two lightsabers.

"You're going to guilt me into doing this, aren't you?" she asked with a sigh that belied her exasperation.

"You know me too well," Ky Narec replied with an easy grin and Sabé could only ground her teeth together in annoyance before releasing her frustration into the Force.

Damned Ky Narec, he _always_ sprung things on her at the worst possible moment.

**AN: I had a personal headcanon that Sabé was the one who taught Asajj Jar'Kai (for reasons that will be revealed in book three), even though she technically didn't take up two 'sabers until her master was killed, but I like my idea better.**

**Taria's my favorite character right now, and if you read Clone Wars Gambit, that bit about the mollusk should make a lot of sense (if not, you'll hear about it later so it'll make more sense) **

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	24. Preparations For Departure

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Twenty-Four: Preparations For Departure**

**AN: We have officially hit 100K words on this fic, which makes me feel super-proud, especially since it's my fourth longest fic, close to over-taking number three, Tempest.**

**And this isn't the last of Asajj, there will be maybe one more scene with her and then we won't hear from her for awhile, but she pops up again towards the end of book two and book three centers on her, so you'll see her again.**

**Also: the Force knows what's up.**

**And just a short bit of annoyance: just because a fic hasn't been updated in a month doesn't mean it's been abandoned. -_-**

* * *

"Why is everything so much simpler when you're younger?"

Sabé was resting with her head against the bar kitchen counter while Kit cooked something up for lunch and Aayla sat beside her, her legs propped up on the empty seat beside her as her eyes roved over the datapad in her hands.

"Probably because you don't have as much responsibility," Kit said sagely from where he was standing at the sonic stove. "Is this because that girl you're taking on for Jar'Kai training?"

"Asajj isn't _terrible,"_ Sabé had to admit, "in fact, she's taken to the style quite effortlessly. I don't think I've ever taught such a natural before, and that's including Talik."

Talik was adequate –for now– in the art, but she had originally trained with a single 'saber whereas Sabé had started with two. Adapting from one style to the next was hard work and sometimes it put you back, and when Talik found herself struggling, she then switched to the healing arts, that was something that came as easily to her as breathing.

Sabé could understand her frustration; she had felt the same way about training with Yoda. Yoda was a great teacher but there were a great many times that Sabé had felt frustrated by his lack of feeling, how he could cut himself off so easily. Sabé was a Jedi who felt deeply and profoundly and it wasn't something she could just stop. She was what the Force had made her to be and to have Yoda tell her to temper her emotions grated at her nerves.

"But compressing so much training in such a short amount of time…I'm not so sure how I feel about it," Sabé grumbled, "but it's better than the girl not knowing hardly anything about Jar'Kai and just waving around two lightsabers like a gundark with its head cut off."

Aayla snorted. "That's an apt description. Remember what you were like when you first started? Now that was comical."

Kit laughed with Aayla and Sabé furrowed her brow briefly, thinking she heard something almost flirty in the way Aayla had laughed with Kit, but she must have been imagining it.

"Oh, like you two were any better when you first started out with your 'saber training," Sabé retorted, her nose high in the air, but that only made them laugh more.

"So, how _is_ the training going?" Aayla asked her friend in amusement. "It's almost done, isn't it?"

"Thank the stars," Sabé groaned, returning to her position with her head resting against the table. "A few more days and then she and Ky Narec are shipping off to Rattatak for a good few years and then I won't have to see her Jar'Kai form because you bet your ass it's not going to be as great as it could be if she'd had more time."

Aayla and Kit shared a glance. Sabé's passion for the two-bladed style was rather well known (if the whole Temple didn't know about it by now, Kit would honestly be surprised) and the pair had once see Sabé almost have a heart attack after seeing Talik try it for the first time on her own, mostly because Talik had nearly taken off her own head trying to do a complicated twirl that she'd seen Sabé do on a mission previously.

Sabé had had to come up with a list of rules about training in the Jar'Kai style, which had then spread to a set of rules that Talik had said were the rules of Sabé Amidala (Sabé had just rolled her eyes).

The number one was: _do not use two lightsabers if you can't handle one._

Sabé had honestly lost count of how many times she'd seen fully realized Jedi Knights struggling to using two lightsabers instead of their usual one, falling in line with the typical misconception that using two lightsabers with a single lightsaber style would help in a battle.

_What a surprise!_ It didn't.

It was one thing to use two 'sabers to your advantage, it was another to actually manage it.

"Hopefully no one else will come to me asking for help training in Jar'Kai," Sabé said, taking a long drink of her jawa juice. "Or, if they do, I'll just shunt them towards Keelyvine and hope she manages to scare them away."

"Ouch," Kit remarked in amusement, "that's _cold."_

It was a rather known fact of just how hard Keelyvine Reus was on those who ended up learning from her for any stretch of time. He recalled when Sabé would claim that Keelyvine's training was going to kill her, but she was perhaps the only one that hadn't given up on Jar'Kai simply because the master was tough.

Sabé seemed remarkably unconcerned. "Anyone that can't last against her shouldn't be learning it in the first place."

"And what about Asajj?" Aayla prompted. "Did she just get lucky?"

"Probably," Sabé said as Kit removed the food from where it was over the fire.

"Or as Master Mundi would say 'there is no such thing as luck'," Kit said, deepening his voice appropriately.

"Maybe luck," Sabé conceded, "maybe the will of the Force, but I guess we'll never know…but the girl's got talent, I'll give her that; she'll be a great master of Jar'Kai, I have no doubt."

The Force rang in her ears in both agreement and caution.

* * *

Pamina Prime rained constantly, which wasn't a completely terrible thing, particularly if you were someone that spent a great deal on a planet where there was no rain, which was to say Coruscant. Taria, however, was born on Ghaina and their rain was rare.

Sabé would have liked it better, she knew, the other Shadow had always liked moist environments, particularly on missions.

Taria wrapped her shawl around herself with a sigh, but it didn't do very much to help the chill. And she was holed up in a cave for a reason, she wasn't just doing it for kicks (though who would actually do that for kicks?).

And to make matters worse, Taria was _starving._

And there were only mollusks to eat.

The problem was that Taria had a pile of blue-shelled mollusks with a green stripe and blue-shelled mollusks with a black stripe; she knew one of them was deadly, but Taria couldn't for the life of her remember which it was.

Oh, she should have done just a little more research on the subject before heading off on this mission, but that's what she got for rushing…and all because she'd wanted to see Sabé after learning she had been elected to the Council of First Knowledge.

But Sabé had stopped her before she could make her way out of the apartment, her eyes distant in that way that made it seem like she was listening to something that others could not hear.

"_Just remember that the blue-shelled mollusks with the green stripes are the ones you need to watch out for,"_ Sabé had said before Taria had left her alone.

Taria trusted Sabé's judgment, and she also trusted the will of the Force (because Pamina Prime wasn't the center of Sabé's interests and there was _no way_ she would have known about it if the Force hadn't whispered in her ear).

So Taria took all the mollusks she had collected that that bore the green stripe and threw them out of the cave she was currently residing in. Removing them entirely was probably the better option, because Taria had a habit of moving around in the night, and the chances that she actually might eat a poisonous mollusk were actually surprisingly high.

She wiped her hands on her trousers, damp from rain, before pulling a vibro-blade from out of her boot to break the shell and get some food in her stomach.

This mission wasn't going as well as she would have liked but she could still sense a trace of the Dark Side of the Force on the planet, and she wasn't about to call quits until she found out what it was. And if there was one thing that Taria was known for being, it was determined.

So Taria wrapped her shawl more firmly around her shoulders, waiting the planet's sun to rise so that the rain wasn't nearly so cold, but she had a few hours yet until then, so she sat down and waited impatiently, hoping the new day would bear more fruits.

* * *

Sabé dreamed she was floating in darkness. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, nor was it something she wasn't used to; Sabé had lost count of how many times she had awoken to discover she was floating above her bed.

But in dreams it was very different and the times were very rare when Sabé didn't find herself plagued with increasingly befuddling dreams.

They'd only increased in number since she'd returned to Naboo and Sabé was starting to think that Naboo had a natural, calming effect on the Force and Coruscant was the center of imbalance in the Force.

Her feet made contact with something solid and she found herself standing before a mirror that reflected her as she was, despite the darkness. It reflected Sabé with her multitude of braids, her leather tabard over her robes, darker than most Jedi, but Sabé couldn't understand why the mirror was showing her as she knew she looked.

Sabé reached out a finger to lightly tap against the mirror's surface, only to start in surprise when it rippled under her touch, a new image her place.

The mass of braids were not their typical brown, instead they were dyed black and red –a color choice that Sabé would never in a million years have chosen– but it was the eyes that caught her the most. They bled yellow as lips smirked and Sabé felt a shiver go down her spine.

This Sabé wore Mandalorian armor that was a rusty reddish-brown with an odd gauntlet on one arm that was composed of five linked plates, each capped with a red gem encased with gold. And Sabé could have sworn she'd seen something like it before, but before she could recall, Not-Sabé had raised the helmet to encase her head before unclipping the thick cylinder at her side, clicking the activator button on, allowing the long red flexible tendril to spill out on the ground around her feet.

_A lightwhip!_ Sabé's eyes were drawn to it with interest. The Jedi Temple possessed one that had once belonged to the Sith Lord Githany who had perished in the New Sith Wars alongside her fellow Sith on Ruusan.

Not-Sabé flicked her wrist, and Sabé watched how the red tendril moved with her hand before she gave a more forceful flick to bring the tendril up to shatter the mirror, leaving Sabé to bring her hands up to her face in order to shield it, but the next thing she knew, she was sitting up in her bed, breathing heavily and Arthree, sensing movement, activated with a few small beeps.

"Its fine, Arthree," Sabé assured him, knotting her fingers in the braids. "It was just a nightmare is all."

A terrible nightmare. Sabé doubted she'd be able to get the image of those yellow eyes out of her head, or that sickening smile.

That wasn't her. That wasn't her _at all._

It took a moment for her to regulate her breathing, and once she had, she was pulling herself out of bed, grabbing some fresh clothes and heading into the fresher. It might have been a bit early, but the likelihood of Sabé actually going back to sleep was rather low, so Sabé decided to cut her losses.

A few minutes later she'd left a datapad for Talik, explaining where she'd gone off, before making her way out of the apartment.

It would probably be wise to consider getting her own transport –and by own transport, Sabé meant a speeder– but the chances of her getting a lecture for said speeder were incredibly high –seeing as Jedi weren't really supposed to have their own possessions, yet here Sabé was in an apartment that her father had paid for and an R3 unit she had rebuilt–, besides, where she was going, it wasn't the safest place to park a speeder. In fact, a speeder was more likely to end up stolen if she took it down here.

Sabé gave a nod to the ones working in the lobby as she made it down to the first level and they gave her a few waves of their own, far too familiar with her presence.

Coruscant's underworld wasn't nearly so difficult to find as some believed. The law enforcement of the planet liked to believe that the underworld had been shut down several years previously, but all that had been done was the underworld moving its location. Of course, the underworld was rather vast, being hundreds of levels stacked on one another, which made operating in an illegal fashion rather easy, because there were just too many places that the underworld could be. It was easier to pretend it didn't really exist.

Sabé flipped up the hood of her cloak as she took a few intersecting bridges, aware of the speeders flying around her. It might still be a bit early, but Coruscant was the world that never slept, so it came as no surprise that it was already so busy. She took a few back-end routes before finding the spot she was looking for. She looked around to make sure that no one was watching before she knelt to remove the covering over the large ventilation shaft that was one of the ways into the underworld.

It had been made to be easily accessible, which was why there was a makeshift turbolift rested inside, just large enough to fit Sabé without too much difficulty.

Sabé gathered her robes around herself and stepped inside, pulling the covering back in place before a scanner could come by and take note of the gaping hole in the ventilation shaft.

She pulled the lever down and hit the activation button. The turbolift gave a creaking groan before making its way down slowly before giving a sharp jolting stop, the tubing before her opening automatically to permit Sabé to exit into the underworld.

As always, the underworld was packed. There were stalls set up showcasing items, some of which were clearly stolen, others, not so much. But Sabé ignored them, weaving through the crowd with ease.

There were some vendors familiar with her –she had been coming to the underworld for years now, so that was unsurprising– and gave her grudging nods as she passed by, making for one door in particular. She keyed the appropriate code into the door and it swung open to allow her entry, though a large Besalisk blocking her entry. The Besalisk took one look at her before smirking. "Hey, Silon!" he called over his shoulder to the main room. "Looks like Dala's come for a visit."

Sabé didn't know how she'd ended up with everyone in the underworld calling her Dala, (from Amidala, _obviously_), but the name had stuck.

"Hello, Zigtu," Sabé smiled, shrugging off her cloak to hang up on one of the hooks. "Is there still a game going on?"

"Just about to start," Zigtu told her as the door shut behind Sabé. "Haven't seen you around in awhile, we thought you'd kicked the habit."

"Zigtu," Sabé smirked, "I hardly gamble enough for this to be considered a habit."

"Ah, my beloved star, Dala!" came a bolstered voice and Sabé rolled her eyes as Silon stepped into the dimly lit foyer. The Weequay looked just as Sabé remembered, his skin tough and leathery, darker than most of his race, with goggles fixed over his eyes.

"Silon," Sabé laughed before taking his cheeks in her hands giving him a fierce kiss before stepping back while he righted himself. It was amusing that he always ended up breathless after a single kiss from her, but it hadn't stopped that from being their usual greeting (it wasn't like Sabé was shy about her odd relationship with the smuggler). "You are as terrible a flirt as ever!"

He gave her a dopey smile that had her smirking. "Anything for you, my Dala."

"I hear there's going to be a game of Sabacc soon," Sabé said with glittering eyes, "got room for another player?"

She could use some money to come up with for Talik and Anakin's fifteenth, even if it would be a little while before then. Talik had only turned fourteen in the past month, and Anakin was a few more weeks out.

"Ah, Dala, you always end up stealing from my favorite clients," Silon remarked, tossing an arm carelessly over her shoulders.

"My dear, if this was an honest business you've got going, then _maybe_ I'd be stealing," Sabé retorted and Silon pressed a hand to his chest with an audible gasp.

"I am an honest businessman, Dala, I assure you!"

Sabé laughed. "Still smuggling things out of Coruscant on your _Millennium Falcon_?"

The smile on his face fell sharply. "No, the _Millennium Falcon_ has disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Sabé couldn't hide her surprise, but Silon waved her concerns away.

"Worry not!" he declared. "I will find a new transport! Now, come! Join us! There will be money made today, yet!"

His enthusiasm made Sabé smile as she allowed him to drag her over to the table and demand a deal for 'his Dala' before the game could begin. Sabé watched the other players size her up and she gave them the naïve smile that she used to throw others off guard, and then the game began.

* * *

"A wise choice it is to go to Dagobah."

Sabé was walking beside her old master –with Yoda being perched in his hover chair– with her bag tucked over one shoulder, into which she had stuffed her cloak along with anything else she might need for the next three months. "I think so, as well," Sabé agreed. "Talik has focused too much on her Force-healing, which isn't a bad thing, only she's let her Jar'Kai slip and I think it would be better for her to focus entirely on Jar'Kai for some time."

Yoda gave a small chuckle. "Annoyed, Master Che is, to be losing her most promising student."

"Well, she'll be coming back," Sabé couldn't help but voice dryly, "she'll just be coming back more skilled in Jar'Kai and who can complain about that."

Yoda didn't smile, but Sabé still sensed his amusement. "Inopportune, the Council of First Knowledge believes the timing to be."

Sabé pursed her lips slightly. "I informed Master T'un what I would be doing a week ago, and this training mission has been in the works for awhile. Perhaps what was inopportune was my election to the council."

"Indeed," Yoda said, "inopportune, only you would consider an election to a council."

Sabé gave a shrug. The election to the council had been a high honor, to be sure, but there was so much that went along with it that Sabé was still trying to wrap her mind around. But Sabé's first priority was training her padawan, ensuring they she could one day become a fully realized Jedi.

"May the Force be with you, Sabé," he said, his hover chair coming to a stop as Sabé approached the Temple's hanger bay.

"And you, Master," Sabé responded politely with a slight bow before heading off to the Starfighter she and Talik would be riding in. Ordinarily, Jedi on training missions didn't use Starfighters, mostly because they were equipped for combat, but taking into consideration the size of the Starfighters to the other starcraft that the Jedi possessed as well as the location of Dagobah, it was decided that that was the type of ship the pair would take.

Arthree let out a whirring beep and Sabé stared at him. The last she remembered, she'd left the astromech with Anakin with the promise to look after him while she was gone.

"_Arthree,"_ she warned, "I told you to stay with Anakin for a reason. Dagobah isn't a good place for droids." Or sure footing.

Arthree's domed head did a complete three-sixty and he beeped angrily.

Sabé let an annoyed hiss pass her lips. "That's the worst idea I've heard yet."

He gave a chattering response that had her rolling her eyes.

"Do you actually understand what its saying?"

Sabé turned to survey Asajj Ventress who must have come to say goodbye and was looking between Sabé and her astromech with interest.

"It's not that difficult," Sabé said simply as Arthree gave a shrill beep, "and he doesn't like being called an _it."_

"Oh."

Sabé nudged him with her foot. "Oh, all right, go get situated."

Arthree gave a noticeably more cheerful series of beeps at that, wheeling around the Starfighter to activate his boosters to fly up to the pouch made specifically for an astromech.

"Heading off to Rattatak?" Sabé surmised. "Rough environment. You and your master be careful."

"We will," Asajj said with certainty before giving a low bow. "Thank you for teaching me Jar'Kai."

"Don't worry about it," Sabé said, controlling the Force to allow her to land lightly on the top of the Starfighter. "Just keep working at it and I'm sure you'll be a master in no time."

Asajj gave her a smile before racing out of the hangar bay in search of her master, no doubt, leaving Sabé to fiddle with some faulty wiring that had been left exposed.

"Don't leave without me!"

Sabé looked up from the wiring to see Talik running forward, her lekku swinging wildly as she came to a stop, breathless and bracing her hands on her knees as Obi-Wan and Anakin came up after her at a more leisure pace.

"Talik, I'm not sure you're aware of this," Sabé mentioned, tucking her vibro-wrench into her tabard before sliding the durasteel sheet into place over the wiring, "but this whole training mission is for _you_…I would exactly leave the Temple without my padawan."

Talik's cheeks burned violet. "Well, you never know," she muttered in embarrassment, climbing her way up to meet Sabé.

"And here I was trying to get used to the idea of having Arthree around for the next three months," Obi-Wan added from the ground as Sabé pulled herself to stand upright.

"What can I say, the astromech's very _convincing."_

Anakin snorted and Obi-Wan's lips curled into a smile. The lighting of the room gave Sabé a faint halo where she was standing, making her radiant for a single moment before she crouched down again.

"Anakin, keep Obi-Wan out of trouble, will you?"

Obi-Wan pressed a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as Anakin gave an eager affirmative. The pair of them were going to be the death of him.

And then both Sabé and Talik had disappeared into their respective cockpits, taking off a moment later, launching up and out of Coruscant's atmosphere, unaware that someone else would find an interest in their leaving of Coruscant.

**AN: Ironically, I kind of modeled Silon and Sabé's relationship off of the one that Aurra Sing and Hondo Ohnaka have in the Clone Wars. They're not lovers, of course, I guess kissing buddies would be a better term…**

**You've got to love the slow burn in this fic, am I right?**

**Next chapter should be interesting, even if it is just training, because we all know how passionate I am about the Jar'Kai style as well as ancient Jedi history ;)**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	25. Sinking into the Swamp

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Twenty-Five: Sinking into the Swamp**

**AN: So ASITF has gotten a lot of attention recently and I had originally planned to hash out the next chapter on Sunday, but then the internet went out on Saturday, so that screwed over my plans (this was last Saturday, mind you, and I've only just now gotten around to this chapter)**

**I'd originally planned to have the three month training mission in one whole chapter, but now it's looking like it might take about two, but don't quote me on that. If I plan to switch back and forth between what's going on at the Temple and Dagobah, the number of chapters Sabé and Talik are on Dagobah might increase.**

**I probably would have posted this chapter sooner, but then I was posting the last of Looking Beyond's chapters, and I'm still not sure when this will be updated again, it could be soon, it could be after awhile, but I have a moderate plan for the next few chapters, so that should help things.**

* * *

The flight to Dagobah was long, but that was to be expected with how Dagobah was located in one of the outer rim territories and Coruscant was far closer to the center. Talik had fallen asleep around half-way through, and Sabé couldn't blame her, there wasn't much to see and there wasn't much space to move around in the Starfighter's cockpit (it made her recall the space on the Millennium Falcon with distinct fondness).

Unfortunately, in her haste to meet Sabé, Talik hadn't thought to bring along any datapads or datachips to keep her entertained, but Sabé was well prepared.

The datapad on her lap held the details concerning an ancient Sith artifact known as the Gauntlet of Kressh the Younger. It was the image she had seen in her dream, (or was it better to term it as a vision?), what had been wrapped around the arm of the woman that was not Sabé.

Sabé had always had an uncommon knowledge of items associated with the Dark Side, one could even say she might have an unsavory interest in what was related to the Dark Side of the Force, but that knowledge had saved her ass more than a few times, so Sabé was prone to ignoring those choice few others.

She had seen an image of the gauntlet's likeness, but she had never really researched it before, and after seeing it in her dream, she didn't have any excuse not to.

_The Gauntlet of Kressh the Younger_, the datapad told her, _was a Sith artifact created during the time of the old Sith Empire by the Sith Lord Ludo Kressh to make his son, Elcho, invulnerable to external harm. The Gauntlet's power lay in protection of the one who wore it by preventing others from touching the wearer against his permission, blasting back any attempt with a surge of Dark Side energy, allowing the wearer to rebound his opponents' attacks back on themselves with a single thought. However, the Gauntlet can only protect the wearer against attacks lack the wearer's consent, all other anticipated attacks cannot be prevented by the Gauntlet._

Sabé frowned as she read through the history of the artifact, dictating how it had fallen into the hands of the Jedi Covenant and gaining the interest of their leader Haazen, who used its destructive powers to kill many Council Jedi, after his death, though, the Gauntlet had vanished from record.

She would have reflected more on that matter but Arthree gave a sudden questioning beep, low enough not to awaken Talik where she was still fast asleep.

"It's not exactly solid footing, Arthree," Sabé remarked, sliding the datapad back into the bag close to her feet. "I told you that you didn't have to come."

Arthree gave an equivalent of an annoyed huff and Sabé couldn't help but smirk. Arthree had nothing if not his own personality, he was practically sentient as it was.

She checked the readings on the screen; they were due to come out of hyperspace in little over twenty standard minutes, and when that happened, she would be manually guiding the Starfighter down to the planet's surface; the swampy forest terrain would make it too difficult to maneuver via astromech autopilot (unless one was crashing, it was hardly the better option).

Arthree hooted dolefully.

"Just don't fall into the swamp and you'll be fine," Sabé told him shortly, rolling her eyes for good measure, "honestly, Arthree, you worry far too much."

The silent treatment the droid gave her was just this side of amusing, and she settled back into silence again, pondering the Gauntlet of Kressh the Younger once more. There were a large number of Sith artifacts scattered through the various planetary systems, many of them still not located, despite the millennia that had passed since their creation, but even Jedi Shadows had difficulty finding them…still, the Gauntlet had been in her dream, so perhaps it could be found…

Sabé pursed her lips thoughtfully, before stuffing the datapad back where it belonged, waiting for their Starfighter to come out of hyperspace, listening to the lull of Talik's deep breathing as she slept on, oblivious, even as the twenty minutes passed on and the Starfighter finally drifted out of hyperspace.

"Arthree, switch to manual control," Sabé said, keeping her voice mild and light so as not to awaken her slumbering padawan, and the red glow on the consol switched to green as Sabé gripped it lightly, directing it towards the mossy-green planet below.

It was easier to fly above the branching foliage that made up the plant-life on Dagobah, landing was much harder and Sabé distinctly remembered how much difficulty Yoda had back when he'd taken her with him to train.

She circled when felt like a good hour or so, searching for a good place to land before she found a gaping area almost completely overtaken by a murky swamp, but the swamp would have to do.

Sabé tilted the consol forward, maneuvering the Starfighter bit by bit towards the thick and muddy shoreline, as far from the swamp as she could manage, but it was difficult work.

Then Sabé moved them down little by little before cutting the engine and allowing the metal to sink down into the mud. Sabé muffled her annoyance as she opened her side of the cockpit and pulled herself out to breathe the muggy air.

* * *

It took some time before Talik finally roused herself, and it was only then that she was made startlingly aware of her current situation. The first thing she noticed was that her master was gone –the small holocamera view next to her screen afforded her an empty seat–, her seat vacated as though she had never been there in the first place. The second thing she noticed was that they had landed on a planet so very unfamiliar to her –though Talik's knowledge of planets was rather limited and she'd never heard of Dagobah before, let alone been able to find it on a star-chart– and along with her master being gone, so was Arthree.

Talik frowned, pushing the cockpit cover back so that she could climb out to stand on the Starfighter's wing, looking out upon Dagobah.

The sounds of wildlife rang in her ears and the Force hummed around her. It was…odd, but not entirely unpleasant. It was the kind of presence that Sabé probably preferred.

Talik hopped down from wing of the Starfighter, landing in a slosh of muck that painted her boots and made her ankles sink into the water and mud.

"_A mud-hole,"_ Talik grumbled, kicking some mud off her boot, "somehow I get the feeling that Master Yoda would have felt _right_ at home here." She could just imagine Sabé in her youth climbing up the vines with Yoda latched onto her back to make it more difficult for her, citing beliefs of the Jedi in her ear.

Talik took a few wide steps in order to reach the shoreline before dropping her eyes to search for any tracks in the ground that might lead her to her master.

Luckily, there was only one such type of marks in the mud that allowed to her follow behind easily. The only problem was…Talik had never been to Dagobah before, and the first plant she touched tried to eat her.

Talik leapt back, startled by the petals that had razor-sharp fibers rising from the petals which had clamped shut like an oyster from a water-planet.

This was not a place she'd like to vacation at, she decided vehemently, as she picked her way through the somewhat deadly foliage with care, being wary of any more murder attempts but also making sure to follow her master's tracks and the slide of what could have only been Arthree.

It took her a surprising amount of time to find Sabé, but that might have had something to do with just how slow she was moving to make sure the plant life didn't instigate another attack. But when she did find her, it was clear that Sabé had been at work for some time.

She'd dragged some moss into a small cave to soften the ground before binding some branches together to brace it against the cave's top to ensure that any rain that fell would run-off away from the cave's opening.

"Have a nice rest?" Sabé remarked in amusement, leaping from the top of the cave to land on her feet with a lightness that Talik could only marvel at.

"You could have woken me up, Master," Talik grumbled, feeling heat rising in her cheeks that turned them mauve.

"You were pretty out of it when we landed, I figured it was just better to leave you be," Sabé said, wiping her hands on her pants as she straightened up again. "Having trouble sleeping?"

Talik blinked.

_Darkness, screaming, a bond breaking with a sharp snap._

"Something like that," Talik said, rubbing her fingers along the leather strap around her lekku that held her silka beads in the place of a Padawan braid made of human hair.

"Well, it's pretty late, you might want to get some more shut eye," Sabé said, tilting her head back to look up into the sky, but she must have seen something that Talik couldn't see.

"Is it?" Talik asked, faintly surprised. It wasn't really that dark, she would have thought it was midday.

"This system has a sun but it takes at least fifty years to do a rotation," Sabé mentioned, pointing at the sky, "and only one moon. There aren't too many systems like it and usually their planets are rather desolate."

"So how can there be plant life here, thriving?" Talik asked, eyeing the trees and the winding vines with interest.

"They absorb heat from the planet's core," Sabé explained, "it's why the planet's so damp and warm despite it lacking a sun for half a century."

"Come on," Sabé added, resting a hand on Talik's shoulder, "get some sleep, we'll be starting early tomorrow."

So Talik trudged back to get her pack while Sabé had Arthree use him boosters in order to maneuver himself inside.

* * *

_Padmé–_

_Master Sabé and Talik left the temple today for a three month long training mission, which seems like a pretty long time to be gone, but Master Obi-Wan says that Master Yoda did the same thing with Master Sabé when she was still his padawan, even though Master Yoda and Master Sabé don't even come close to using the same lightsaber style._

_Talik's been getting into the healing arts a lot recently and Master Vokara Che –who's in charge of the Healing Halls– is supposedly grooming her to succeed her, apparently Talik is _that_ good, and she wasn't too pleased about Master Sabé taking her away for three months, but Master Sabé is her master so she gets final say._

_And they took Arthree with them! And I was really looking forward to opening him up and getting a good look inside him!_

_It's boring now that Talik's gone, there's no one who wants to try their techniques against mine. And Ferus Olin always gets all the attention and I feel like I'm falling behind, but Master Obi-Wan never says anything…_

_How are things on Naboo?_

_-Anakin_

* * *

The rain had started to fall thickly deep into the night and even though Talik had long since fallen asleep, Sabé remained awake, though deep in meditation.

No one had ever said that making a holocron was easy but Sabé hadn't expected it to be nearly so difficult. The materials used to make the outside of the holocron were quite rare, but she'd been sitting on them for a few weeks now since Silon had managed to get the last of tem to her, mostly because Sabé hadn't thought that trying to make a holocron so close to the Jedi Temple was a great idea. Yoda was very skilled, and there was no doubt in her mind that he would have been able to sense what she was trying to do and stop her.

Of course, there was nothing really overly bad about making a holocron, only that it required a certain level of skill and Sabé wanted a secure place to put her beliefs on the Force and its Light and Dark Sides, because Sabé was almost completely certain that someone was keeping an eye on her, why, she had yet to ascertain.

The materials had long since melded together, changing their shape before Sabé, becoming solid and then twisting into liquid. But the process to make a holocron could sometimes take weeks or months, and no matter how much Sabé meditated that night, she knew just how much time it would take, but if there was something that Sabé possessed, it was patience.

* * *

"Rise and shine, training starts in an hour!"

Talik groaned, rolling over on her patch of moss. "Five more minutes," she complained.

"Five minutes becomes five more minutes and then suddenly an hour has passed," Sabé said dryly. "Your ability to manage your time is _astounding."_

Talik gave a loud groan of complaint before hoisting herself out of the cave towards where Sabé was, sitting beside a fire and roasting what appeared to be a piece of volatile plant life. She tried not to gag when her master took a large bite out of it.

"That looks really _disgusting,"_ Talik said, her nose wrinkling as she did so.

"It's actually not really that bad," Sabé had to concede before lifting a small bottle from beside her, holding it out to Talik. "though I'm sure that the spice does help. I remember last time how bad the food was because Master Yoda didn't have anything to add to the flavor."

Talik examined the bottle, reading the name in surprise. "This is _Raxon,"_ she read, startled, "it's one of the most expensive spices in the _galaxy!"_

"You're not wrong," Sabé agreed, faintly amused by her response.

"Where did you get it?"

"Now that, my young padawan, would be telling." Sabé's eyes glittered as she smirked.

There were so many things about her master that Talik knew she'd never understand, like how easily she could move through the Coruscant underworld, how she could swindle with smugglers, and how mercenaries could take her as one their own. If there was one thing Sabé Amidala was known for, it was being a rather successful Jedi Shadow.

So Talik, with a huff of exasperation, took a piece of roasted plant that her master extended to her and took a generous bite, perhaps trusting her master's judgment a little too much, as she regretted it a moment later. She nearly spat out of the bite of plant onto the ground, barely managing to swallow it properly.

"I think there's something wrong with your taste-buds, Master," she gasped once she'd managed it.

Sabé arched an eyebrow in clear amusement. "I've learned that there are some luxuries in life that we take for granted; good food just happens to be one of them."

Talik hated it when Sabé gave her sage advice like that, mostly because Sabé was more likely to be in those situations that Talik. Talik had never been much of fan of undercover work, maybe it was just because she wasn't nearly as skilled at becoming someone else as Sabé so clearly was.

"You could try some rations," Sabé suggested, still amused, "but I'm pretty sure that the plant still tastes better."

"Are you _sure_ this isn't poisoned?" Talik asked her dubiously and Sabé laughed.

"Only a few things on this planet are poisonous…and only a few more are venomous. You're far more likely to fall to your death, if I'm being perfectly honest."

"That's such a comfort, thank you," Talik retorted dryly, chewing thoughtfully on what was probably very close to being a vine. "Master," she said after a few moments, "would you ever consider being a master on the High Council?"

Both of Sabé's eyebrows rose and she couldn't have made it plainer that that question was the last one she had been expecting to be asked, even by Talik. She set down her own piece of plant, her brow creasing in contemplation.

"I'd never really thought about it," she admitted, "to be elected to the Council of First Knowledge was an honor enough, but I doubt I'd be at the top of the list of people to be elected to the High Council."

"Because your views?" Talik asked.

"Well, I always thought it would be more of my lack of experience," Sabé countered shrewdly. "Besides someone is typically only considered a master once they've trained a padawan, completely trained them, so I'll only be considered a master once you've completed the trials…but my beliefs could factor into as well, I have no doubt."

"Though," Sabé added, "I am still far closer to being a Light Jedi than a Dark one or even a Grey Jedi, but the High Council has always hated when others do not conform to the Code, and I have always been rather clear on my differences of opinion on it."

"That's why Pablo Jill doesn't like you," Talik agreed.

"Pablo Jill has _never_ liked me," Sabé laughed, "even when I was a youngling, he had his doubts about my strength in the Force, he's the one that insisted I be routinely tested for changes in my Midi-clorian count, which happened once a week for about three months until Master Yoda put his foot down…a lot of the more traditional older Jedi don't like Jedi Shadows all that much, mostly because they don't approve of how we do our missions."

"That's _stupid,"_ Talik frowned. "All the Jedi Shadows are really good at finding Sith artifacts, and I bet _they_ couldn't handle a several months long undercover mission like you can."

Sabé gave her a wry smile. "Of course, not all of the older Jedi are like that, I know Master Plo Koon always delights in hearing my views. He likes to play the devil's advocate against me, so to speak."

"Master Plo's nice to everyone, though."

Sabé smirked, but said nothing more on the subject. It was true that Plo Koon was a very kindly Jedi, yes, but his use of witty sarcasm had surprised Sabé more times than she could count. The Kel Dorian Jedi may have been more than three hundred Kel Dorian years of age, but it was always clear that he was not to be mistaken as old. Wizened, perhaps, experienced, yes, but never old.

In truth, Sabé had found him far easier to speak to than her own master, particularly in her youth, and even though she'd been trained by the Grandmaster, a part of her had wished Plo would have taken her on as his padawan learner. Maybe it was just because she had a bond with him, seeing as he was the one that had brought her to the Temple, or maybe it was something else.

"Eat your breakfast," Sabé said instead, "training starts in half an hour and you will be exhausted by lunch, I guarantee it."

Talik groaned into her piece of plant, but that only made Sabé grin.

* * *

_Ani–_

_Naboo is the same as its always been, but it seems like a new problem arises with each day. Currently I am at odds with our most recently elected senator who doesn't appear to have my people's interest in hand. I believe him to be in someone's pocket, but I can't prove it, at least not yet, but I won't rest until there is no corruption in the senate on Naboo's part, at the very least._

_Sabé and Talik sound like they're going to be very busy for the next three months with training, how exciting! Sabé warned me she would be difficult to reach during that time, so it seems like all her time is going to be taken up by Talik. She said something about Talik's Jar'Kai form needing work, which I was barely able to understand._

_I remember you telling me about Talik training to become a Jedi Healer, she must be very gifted if another master has taken an interest in her, but I can hardly imagine anyone but Sabé as her master; hardly out of one another's presence those two, from what I can remember. And I'm pretty sure that Arthree wouldn't appreciate being opened up and Sabé would appreciate it even less._

_Personally, I've always found that comparing myself against others has never helped very much, but it is always good to have a rival, a rival could send you to new heights, and sometimes what you need is a challenge. Talik may be talented, and the same for Sabé and Obi-Wan, but you've trained with them for awhile, you know all their moves. Perhaps you need to find someone who you've never trained with before._

_But I'm no Jedi._

_How are things at the Temple, apart from Sabé and Talik leaving for three months? There must be other exciting things happening._

_-Padmé _

**AN: Spices in Star Wars usually refers to drugs, or narco-spices, but I'm pretty sure that food additives exist in every universe so in this fic there will be spices (regular stuff to sprinkle onto food) and narco-spices (drugs), the two are very very different.**

**The importance of the holocron that Sabé is trying to build won't be of integral importance until around book four (yes, I've planned that far ahead), but you will see Sabé adding information to it throughout the fic.**

**The datamessages between Anakin and Padmé are going to be seen in the background, but I knew it was important to keep their relationship if I want it to develop a bit more naturally than it did in canon (let's be real, that roundabout that Padmé did didn't made a whole lot of sense in canon), I'm actually considering Obi-Wan and Anakin going back to Naboo for a mission or two before the events of Episode II, so that'll be fun.**

**I'm looking forward to when Talik and Sabé get back to the Temple, though, so more Jedi that were present in the Clone Wars can be introduced.**

**As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


End file.
